Description

Essentials about the Museum Island in brief

The northern tip of the Spree Island in the historic center of Berlin, known as Museum Island, is the first port of call in the capital for anyone interested in art. With its five museums, it is the nucleus of Berlin’s museum landscape and one of the most important exhibition complexes in the world. Due to its special cultural and architectural significance, the Museum Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a unique cultural and architectural ensemble worldwide.

The history and the museums of the Museum Island

The history of the Museum Island goes back to the 19th century when Prussia’s strengthened bourgeoisie demanded public access to art collections. Under King Frederick William II, the Altes Museum (Old Museum) was finally opened in 1830 as Prussia’s first public museum. It took almost 30 years for the Old Museum to be joined by the Neues Museum (New Museum – formerly the Royal Prussian Museum). In 1876, the Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery), the third museum on the island, was opened. However, the museum ensemble was not completed until the beginning of the 20th century with the opening of the Kaiser-Friedrich Museum (now the Bode Museum) in 1904 and the Pergamon Museum in 1930.

After World War II, the Museum Island was a landscape of ruins, especially the Neues Museum was almost completely destroyed. In GDR times, reconstruction began, but the Neues Museum remained as a ruin. After German reunification, a comprehensive redevelopment of the entire area, the so-called “Master Plan Museum Island”, was decided. This included both the reconstruction of the Neues Museum and the restoration of the other museums. Today, the buildings shine in new splendor. Furthermore, there is a central entrance for the museums, which are also additionally connected with an underground promenade.

Website

smb.museum/museumsinsel-berlin

museumsinsel-berlin.de

Opening hours

Opening hours of all five museums on the Museum Island:

Admission fees

Museum Island all exhibitions:

Adults: €18.00

Concessions: €9.00

Museum pass Berlin 3-day ticket:

Adults: €29.00

Concessions: €14.50

For further information on the annual tickets of the National Museums in Berlin and the admission frees of the individual museums on the Museum Island, please visit the respective websites.

Address

Getting there

By public transport:

U6: Stop Friedrichstraße

S1, S2, S3, S5, S7 and S9: Stop Friedrichstraße

S3, S5, S7 and S9: Stop Hackescher Markt

Tram lines 12 and M1: Stop Georgenstr./Am Kupfergraben

Tram lines 12, M1, M4, M5, M6 and M8: Stop Hackescher Markt

Bus line M1: Stop Georgenstr./Am Kupfergraben

Bus lines M1, N2, N5, N8, N40, N42 and N65: Stop Hackescher Markt

Bus lines 100, 245 and 300: Stop Lustgarten

By car:

The nearest parking garages is Parkhaus Dorotheenstraße.