If you spend your holidays in Germany, then be sure to visit the museums of Berlin. Here you will get acquainted with the history of the country, learn many interesting facts and get a lot of impressions. In this article we will talk about the most significant sights that are worth visiting in this wonderful city.
Museum Island in Berlin
This unique museum complex is under the protection of UNESCO. It includes five world famous museums:
- Pergamon Museum.
- Bode Museum.
- The old museum.
- The new museum.
- Old National Gallery.
Here you can see the values that are not without reason attributed to the world heritage. This is a bust of the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti, the Pergamon Altar, Ishtar Gate, a collection of ancient scrolls and much more.
The museums of Berlin on Museum Island have a clear goal. They are trying to show the history of the development of mankind from primitive times to the present day. It is interesting that the structure of the complex has not yet been completed until the end, so its final version can only be seen in 2028.
Pergamon. Museum in Berlin
Here monumental architectural masterpieces are carefully kept, as well as three famous museum collections:
- Antique art.
- Islamic art.
- Front Asia.
The unique exhibits of the 6-19 centuries, presented to visitors, acquaint with the history of world art.
If you want to immerse yourself in the wonderful world of Pergamon, then devote it all day. Start with an exposition of ancient art, the pearl of which is the Pergamon Altar, created in the second century BC. No less interesting will be the inspection of the Gates of the Milensky Market, created in the first century by Roman architects.
Exhibits from ancient Mesopotamia, Anatolia and Syria are represented in the art collection of Asia Minor. The most famous are the Procession Road and Ishtar Gate. In total there are more than 270 thousand interesting antiquities.
You can see valuable artifacts of the 7-11th centuries in the collection of Islamic art. For example, a stone frieze that adorned the Mshattu palace in the 8th century or the 17th century Allep room.
Bode Museum
This complex is located in the northwest of Museum Island. Here you can see:
- Sculpture collection.
- Museum of Byzantine Art.
- Coin Office.
All these expositions are very popular among residents and guests of the German capital.
A beautiful symmetrical building with an area of 6 thousand meters was built at the beginning of the 20th century, thanks to the idea of Emperor Frederick III. His idea was that anyone could see the collections of exhibits belonging to the royal family.
The interior rooms of the building are real works of art. Each of them is made in the style of a certain era. Thus, the Museum of Byzantine Art tells about the life of the Western Roman and Byzantine Empire in the period from the 3rd to the 15th century. Here you can see amazing sculptures, ancient sarcophagi, ritual objects of Ancient Egypt and Byzantine icons made of mosaics.
The collection of sculptures is a huge collection of masterpieces created by European masters from the Middle Ages to the 18th century.
More than 500 thousand exhibits are exhibited in the coin cabinet. This is the largest coin collection in the world.
Museums in Berlin are very diverse. Next, we will talk about the most interesting exhibitions and expositions that will be interesting to most curious tourists.
Jewish Museum
If you are interested in the history of the Jewish community of Germany, then be sure to visit this exhibition. Here you will find a biography of famous representatives of the ancient people who left their mark in German history. They will also tell you about the role of Jewish merchants who influenced the development of German industry.
The Jewish Museum in Berlin is famous for its main attraction - the Holocaust Tower, as well as the Garden of Exile and Emigration. When examining it, one should take into account what a strong impression she makes on visitors (caretakers and guides often provide first aid to tourists).
Museum of Natural History
The area of this largest European museum is approximately 4 thousand meters. The building was built at the beginning of the 19th century, but after the Second World War it had to be reconstructed due to severe damage. Currently, the exposure is divided into three parts:
- Mineralogy.
- Zoology.
- Paleontology.
The Natural History Museum (Berlin) is the owner of a collection containing more than 30 million exhibits. Viewers can see the history of the development of the Universe, our planet and the formation of mankind.
The most popular dinosaur collection among visitors. Most of the exhibits are perfectly preserved and make a tremendous impression. The insect collection is also of great interest, where models of representatives of this taxonomic unit in an enlarged size are exhibited.
Berlin Wax Museum
The first waxworks of famous figures of politics and culture were exhibited in London at the end of the 19th century. Since then, a lot of time has passed, but this initiative has not been forgotten. At the beginning of the 21st century, the German version saw the light, and the Tussauds Museum (Berlin) gained unprecedented popularity.
In nine halls, figures of politicians, artists, musicians, athletes and movie stars are exhibited. In total there are more than 80 exhibits. It is interesting that the organizers did not ignore the sad side of German history and presented the figure of Hitler to the public. In order not to hurt people's feelings, he has a very miserable and painful appearance.
The museum has another interesting room. In it, tourists are shown and told in detail about how wax figures are created.
Luftwaffe Museum
This huge aviation exposition is located in three large hangars and on a vast open-air platform. 19th century airplanes and modern cars are in working condition. Here you can see unique airships, interceptors, gliders, radars, helicopters and much more.
Soviet equipment, which was in service with the National People's Army of the GDR, makes up a third of the entire exposition. Here, viewers can examine in detail the military uniform of different times, dispatch equipment and various weapons. In addition, among the exhibits there are awards, diplomas, photographs and other items of officer life. Inspection of the entire exhibition usually takes about five hours.
Complex Berlin-Dahlem
The expositions of this museum are dedicated to Asian art, European culture and ethnology.
The section devoted to the art of India includes more than 20 thousand exhibits. This amazing collection is considered one of the best in the world. In the new halls of the museum you can see handicrafts of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central and South-West Asia.
The pride of the ethnological museum are rooms that recreate the life of different peoples in different eras. In addition, exhibits of the pre-industrial era and Benin bronze items are on display for everyone to see.
The exposition of the European Museum clearly demonstrates how different states of our continent come together, cooperate and grow together.
Stasi Museum and Prison
Walking around the museum and getting to know its exhibits makes a strong impression. If you consider that the ex-prisoners conduct the tour, then you can understand that this event is not suitable for the faint of heart.
This prison used to contain people whose guilt was not proven, as well as those who tried to flee the country or simply applied for exit. Before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Stasi was actively engaged in identifying dissatisfied citizens of his country, tracking tourists in Russia and had a reputation as one of the most effective spy organizations.
In the museum, tourists can examine interrogation rooms, investigators' offices, instruments of torture, and surveillance equipment. Of particular interest is the spy equipment built into buttons, ties, an hour, birdhouses, stumps, and other items.
After visiting the exposition, you will find out how people who visited this prison felt. Neither old films nor books describing the drama of those years can be so immersed in the atmosphere.
Conclusion
To visit the most interesting museums in Berlin, you need to spend more than one day. However, the time that you spend in their walls, you will remember for a lifetime. Here you will find a lot of impressions, you will be enriched with knowledge, and in some cases even master new skills.