Pergamon Museum

Berlin, Germany

The Pergamon Museum was designed by Alfred Messel and Ludwig Hoffmann and was constructed in twenty years, from 1910 to 1930. The Pergamon Museum houses original-sized, reconstructed monumental buildings such as the Pergamon Altar and the Market Gate of Miletus, all consisting of parts transported from Turkey.

The museum is subdivided into the antiquity collection, the Middle East museum, and the museum of Islamic art. The museum is visited by approximately 1,135,000 people every year, making it the most visited art museum in Germany.

By the time the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum on Museum Island (today the Bodemuseum) had opened, it was clear that the museum was not large enough to host all of the art and archaeological treasures excavated under German supervision. Excavations were underway in Babylon, Uruk, Assur, Miletus, Priene and Egypt, and objects from these sites could not be properly displayed within the existing German museum system. As early as 1907, Wilhelm von Bode, the director of the Kaiser-Friedrich-Wilhelm-Museum had plans to build a new museum nearby to accommodate ancient architecture, German post-antiquity art, and Middle Eastern and Islamic art.

This large three-wing museum had been in planning since 1907; when Alfred Messel died in 1909 his close friend Ludwig Hoffman took charge of construction, which began in 1910. The construction continued during the First World War (1918) and the great inflation of the 1920s. In 1930, the building hosting the four museums opened.

The Pergamon Museum was severely damaged during the air attack on Berlin at the end of the Second World War. Many of the display objects were stored in safe places, and some of the large pieces were walled in for protection. In 1945, the Red Army collected all of the loose museum items, either as war booty or, ostensibly, to rescue them from looting and fires then raging in Berlin. Not until 1958 were most of the objects returned to East Germany. Significant parts of the collection remain in Russia. Some are currently stored in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow and the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg.

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Address

Bodestraße 1-3, Berlin, Germany
See all sites in Berlin

Details

Founded: 1910
Category: Museums in Germany
Historical period: German Empire (Germany)

More Information

www.smb.museum
en.wikipedia.org
www.berlin.de
www.visitberlin.de

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Brandenburg Gate (1,4 km)
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DDR Museum (0,4 km)
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St. Mary's Church (0,7 km)


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Köpenick Palace (14,7 km)

User Reviews

Etan N (16 months ago)
Normally I don't like archeology museums, but this one was definitely amazing. Great to see the reconstructions. Too bad there were some parts that were still under construction. For 18/9 euro (normal/student) you can see all the museums on museum island.
Mauro Amoruso (16 months ago)
Interesting museum about middle-east ancient architecture and sculpture. The price for a normal ticket is quite high (19€), for student it costs 9€. The main attraction, the Pregamon altar is being restructured and won't be available until 2023
Lydia Afriyie (16 months ago)
This Islamic museum is one of a kind. It shows the rich culture of Middle East especially the old Iran and Syria, Iraq and the other Arab countries. Some of the Bible histories of kings are also made alive here. The second floor is an exhibition of Islamic arts and it brings the beautiful of mixed culture between Middle East, Mongolia, China and even Spain through war and colonisation. One day is not enough to unravel the beautiful of this museum and I will definitely go again.
James Liu (16 months ago)
A great museum in which one must visit when coming to Germany. The museum did a great job in organizing the artifacts and the English audio tour of the museum was also very well done. It’s a place where you can stay for a whole day and gain a lot of knowledge.
Jan (17 months ago)
I love this place. Great exhibits well presented and stunning architecture. Will be even better when renovations are complete. Whilst you cannot see all exhibits right now I would still say well worth it
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