Berlin MUSEUMSINSEL (Museum Island)

The Museumsinsel or the Museum Island refers to the Northern part of an island in the Spree River in Mitte, Berlin, hence the name. The south part of the island is known as Fischerinsel or Fisher Island, location of the Fischerinsel high-rise apartment development. The north part of the island is conveniently called a museum due to the facility which houses five internationally important museums that are part of the Berlin State Museums.

In 1797, the archeologist Aloys Hirt suggested for an exhibition hall to be constructed in the area. Later on, Karl Friedrich Schinkel designed the plans for the Altes Museum in 1822 and was constructed between 1824 nd 1828. King Frederick William IV of Prussia dedicated the island to art and science in 1841. The design of the proposed development was drawn by the court architect Friedrich August Stüler. The Neues Museum was built between 1843 and 1847. In 1866, the Nationalgalerie that was designed by Johann Heinrich Strack was built. The Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum, now known as the Bodemuseum, was designed by Ernst von Ihne and was built in 1897 to 1904. Lastly, Alfred Messel'sPergamonmuseumwas built and completed in 1909 to 1930. UNESCO considers Museumsinsel as “an outstanding example of the Enlightenment vision of making art publicly accessible, given material form in a central urban setting”.

The collections of art and archeology grew until it was transformed into a public foundation after 1918. In the Cold War, during the separation of the city of Berlin, the Prussian collection was taken away but later returned afterthe German Reunification. The arts and artifacts taken by the Allied Troops after the Second World War, including the Priam’s Treasure or the Gold of Troy was never returned and is now retained in Moscow’s Pushkin Museum.

The five Museums set in the complex are the following:

The Altes Museum or the Old Museum is a two-storey structure with a rectangular ground plan on a high base. The exhibition rooms ranged around two inner courts and a central two-storey domed rotunda with skylight.

The Neues Museum or the New Museum is comparable with that of the Altes Museum. It has a monumental main staircase instead of the rotunda.

The Alte Nationalgalerie or the Old National Gallery hosts a collection of 19th century art donated by banker Joachim H. W. Wagener. The four-storey building has a rectangular ground plan with apse-like terminal features. It has symbolic sculptures, reliefs, and paintings.

The Bodemuseum was formerly known as Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum. It shows the sculpture collections and late Antique and Byzantine art. It is a neo-Baroque structure in a commanding position on the north-western tip of the island.

The Pergamonmuseumis the last museum in the complex. It has several reconstructed historically significant buildings such as the Pergamon Altar and the Ishtar Gate of Babylon. It was built to display the collections of antiquities acquired through the German excavations at Pergamon and other Greek sites in Asia Minor.

The Museumsinsel is probably one of the most favored destinations in Berlin. It showcases art, history, science, and architecture all in one site.