Berlin Photo Gallery
Museumsinsel

Introduction

Berlin's Museum Island lies between the River Spree and Kupfergraben. The buildings on the island accommodate the archaeological collections and art of the 19th century. Development of the building complex began with the Altes Museum which was designed by Schinkel. It was in this building that King Frederick William III made art treasures accessible to the public for the first time in 1830.

When the Pergamon Museum opened in 1930, it marked the completion of the Museum Island complex. During the Second World War up to seventy per cent of the buildings were destroyed. A huge reconstruction and modernization programme is currently under way to rebuild. The original collections which were divided between east and west after the war are now being reorganized and, in the majority of cases, reunited.

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