In the heart of the city, Berlin's Museum Island is a treasure trove of mankind and one of the most popular attractions with locals and tourists. The various expositions boast an unrivalled collection of priceless exhibits covering the entire span of human history, from the cradle of civilisation in Mesopotamia through Egypt, Classical Greece and Rome, Byzantium, the Islamic World and the Middle Ages right up to the modern age. Guided tours of the exhibitions are available, larger groups or school trips must be booked in advance. A number of the museums are closed on Mondays.

Museum complex

Situated in the heart of the city, the famous Berlin Museum Island is one of the most important museum complexes in the world. The complex comprises five museums of international prominence, archaeological collections and 19th century art. This collection of museums was designated a site of UNESCO World Heritage in 1999.

An island at the heart of the city

Berlin Museum Island is a unique educational infrastructure, representing 100 years of museum architecture in the centre of Berlin. Between 1830 and 1930, a “temple city of the arts” was created on an area less than one square kilometre, spanning more than 6,000 years of cultural and human history. The starting point for the “island of treasures” was the completion in 1830 of the Old Museum designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. This is the oldest of Berlin's museum buildings and the place where King Friedrich Wilhelm III made art treasures available for public viewing for the first time. Berlin Museum Island and its five large exhibition buildings has evolved over time to become a synthesis of the arts, set in impressive surroundings.

The Old Museum, built in 1830, was the first building on Berlin Museum Island and the first public museum in Prussia. It presents the magnificence of Egypt, with antique statues and the famous bust of the Egyptian queen Nefertiti. This was followed in 1859 by the New Museum, in 1876 by the Old National Gallery with 19th century paintings and sculptures and in 1904 by the Bode Museum and the world's largest sculpture collection, which was reopened in 2006 after extensive renovations. The last and largest new building in neo-classical style was added in 1930 in the form of the Pergamon Museum. This is home to the famous Pergamon Altar discovered in Turkey. The special feature of Berlin Museum is that these remarkable collections are housed in buildings which reflect the development of the museum institution in terms of its architecture, space arrangement and design.

Since 17 October 2009 the Neues Museum has opened its doors to the public once again. This key work in the history of the art, the museum and technology in the 19th century was designed by the architect Friedrich August Stüler. After being badly damaged in the Second World War, the building has been elaborately restored and recreated under the direction of the British star architect David Chipperfield. The building now provides a new home for the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection and the Museum of Prehistory and Early History, together with artefacts from the Collection of Classical Antiquities.