ALTES MUSEUM

Description

Essentials about the Altes Museum in brief

The Altes Museum (Old Museum) takes its visitors back to the time of classical antiquity and presents the Collection of Classical Antiquities of the National Museums of Berlin. This includes a variety of artistic works of the ancient Greeks, Etruscans and Romans – from small art to vases to jewelry and sculptures. The Altes Museum is one of the five museums on Berlin’s Museumsinsel (Museum Island) and is thus a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The history of the Altes Museum

The museum goes back to the Prussian bourgeoisie, which strengthened in the 19th century and brought forth the desire to make the royal cultural collections accessible to the people. This wish was also in line with the educational ideal of the polymath Wilhelm von Humboldt, who saw human development in the study of ancient cultures, among other things. Frederick William III (fortunately) shared Humboldt’s view of education and commissioned the museum building in 1825.

The building of the Altes Museum

The famous town planner and architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel was appointed as master builder, who created one of the most important buildings of classicism in Germany with the museum building. The monumental 19 Ionic fluted columns, the wide-span vestibule with its open staircase, and the rotunda adorned with antique sculptures are architectural high points that until then had only been reserved for stately buildings. The inscription above the columned front reads: “Friedrich Wilhelm III donated the museum to the study of all kinds of antiquities and the liberal arts in 1828”. In this sense, the Old Museum makes all lovers of ancient art happy.