Berlin Photo Gallery - Museumsinsel

Museum Island is home to 5 major museums of many themes. It all got started in 1830 when Friedrich Wilhelm III commissioned the Royal Museum, now the Altes Museum. Future Prussian kings continued to develop the island's cultural scene. While the island was badly damaged during World War II and the collections divided during the Cold War, the buildings have been renovated and back in action. Do plan an extra few days in the city if you plan to hit a substantial number of museums on offer, and consider whether the Welcome Card's museum version is worth the money. Just across from the cathedral on the other side of the Lustgarten is the Altes Museum with Ionic columns in the Classic style. There are more museums behind it. The Alte Nationalgalerie was built between 1866-1876 in the shape of a Greek temple and houses an important collection of 19th century paintings. Next door is the Neues Museum, which was built between 1843-1855 and opened as an extension of the Altes Museum. It was badly damaged during World War II and left abandoned until efforts to secure it only started in the 1980s. The Pergamonmuseum was purposedly built to house the treasures found by German archaeologists in Pergamon, such as the famous 2nd century BC altar of Zeus. Carl Humann founded them during excavations in the 1880s. Completed in 1930, it is the youngest museum on the island but was unfortunately closed for a long renovation at the time of my visit. The Bode Museum is at the northernmost part of the island. Originally called the Kaiser-Friedrich Museum, construction began in 1897 with the project aimed at showcasing Renaissance works. The museum opened in 1904 and renamed in 1956 after its first director and curator.