The Arts in Berlin-Mitte Tour

The World Heritage Site of Museum Island offers a breathtaking tour through five museums. The Altes Museum (Old Museum) with its portico of monumental columns houses outstanding treasures from classical antiquity, while the spectacularly restored Neues Museum (New Museum) shows masterpieces of Egyptian art. Here, you can also find the legendary bust of Egyptian Queen Nefertiti in its own richly decorated display room under the north dome. Opened in summer 2019, the James-Simon-Galerie is the new central entrance and includes temporary exhibitions, an auditorium and a café with a stunning view. Just a short distance away you will find the exhibition building: Pergamon Museum. Das Panorama by Asisi. Here you can immerse yourself in the ancient world of the metropolis of Pergamon in 129 AD. The artist Yadegar Asisi has created an incredible work of art in the form of a huge panorama picture in the 360° installation room. Now fast forward to the nine-teenth century – in just a few steps. The Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery) presents masterpieces of German and French painting and sculpture. The Bode-Museum, located at the northern tip of Museum Island, is renowned for its sculpture collection and impressive exhibition spaces, with high domed halls and a “basilica” inspired by religious architecture. Incidentally, the Monbijoubrücke bridge at the Bode Museum is the optimal standpoint for a panoramic photo of the River Spree, Bode Museum and TV Tower!

The new Humboldt Forum is opposite. Covering approx. 30,000 square metres, the building is a prominent feature in the cityscape. The reconstructed Berlin Palace façades to the north, south and west are a light quince yellow colour. In contrast, the modern east façade is smoothly linear. Here, you find the Spreebalkon (Spree Balcony) and a large terrace just above the River Spree. The reconstructed sculptural façade of the original baroque City Palace is similarly impressive.

The Schlüterhof courtyard is set at the centre of the Humboldt Forum, while the Passage, a wide colonnaded path, stretches through the entire building. The ground-floor foyer with its impressive 20-metre-high Cosmograph is already open, as is the Sculpture Hall and the Berlin Global exhibition. Here visitors can explore around 20,000 art objects from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania.