If you spend your holidays in Germany, 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 highlight the most significant sights to visit 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.
- Old Museum.
- 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, the Ishtar Gate, a collection of ancient scrolls and much more.
The museums in Berlin on the Museum Island have a clear purpose. They try 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, so its final version can bewill only be seen in 2028.
Pergamon. Museum in Berlin
Monumental masterpieces of architecture are carefully stored here, as well as three famous museum collections:
- Antique art.
- Islamic Art.
- Western Asia.
Unique exhibits of the 6th-19th centuries, presented to the public, introduce the history of world art.
If you want to immerse yourself in the wonderful world of Pergamon, then dedicate a whole day to this. Start with an exhibition 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 presented in the collection of art of Western Asia. The most famous are the Procession Road and the Ishtar Gate. In total, there are more than 270 thousand of the most interesting antiquities.
Valuable artifacts of the 7th-11th centuries you can see in the collection of Islamic art. For example, a stone frieze that adorned the Mshatta Palace in the 8th century or the Allep Room of the 17th century.
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 with residents and guests of the capitalGermany.
The 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 true 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, ancient Egyptian ritual objects and Byzantine mosaic icons.
The sculpture collection is a huge collection of masterpieces created by the hands of European masters, from the Middle Ages to the 18th century.
More than 500 thousand exhibits are exhibited in the coin office. This is the world's largest collection of coins.
Museums in Berlin are very diverse. Next, we will talk about the most interesting exhibitions and expositions that will be of interest to most inquisitive tourists.
Jewish Museum
If you are interested in the history of the Jewish community in Germany, be sure to visit this exhibition. Here you will learn the biography of famous representatives of the ancient people who left their mark on German history. You will also be told about the role of Jewish businessmen who influenced the development of German industry.
The Jewish Museum in Berlin is famous for its main attraction - the TowerHolocaust, as well as the Garden of Exile and Emigration. When examining it, one should take into account what a strong impression it makes on visitors (caretakers and guides often provide first aid to tourists).
Natural History Museum
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. At the moment, the exposition 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 collection of dinosaurs among visitors. Most of the exhibits are perfectly preserved and make a huge impression. The collection of insects is also of great interest, where models of representatives of this taxonomic unit are exhibited in an enlarged size.
Berlin Wax Museum
The first wax figures of famous political and cultural figures were exhibited in London at the end of the 19th century. Much time has passed since then, but this undertaking 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.
The figures of politicians, artists, musicians, athletes and movie stars are exhibited in nine halls. In total there are more than 80exhibits. Interestingly, 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 pathetic and sickly appearance.
There is another interesting room in the museum. In it, tourists are shown and told in detail about how wax figures are created.
Luftwaffe Museum
This huge aviation display is housed in three large hangars and a vast outdoor area. 19th century aircraft and modern machines are in working order. 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 see in detail the military uniform of different times, control equipment and various weapons. In addition, among the exhibits there are awards, certificates, photographs and other items of officer life. Seeing the entire exhibition usually takes about five hours.
Berlin-Dahlem Complex
The expositions of this museum are dedicated to Asian art, European culture and ethnology.
The section dedicated 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 from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central and Southwest Asia
The pride of the ethnological museumare rooms that recreate the life of different peoples in different eras. It also displays pre-industrial artifacts and Benin bronzes for the public to see.
The exposition of the European museum clearly demonstrates how the different states of our continent are approaching, cooperating and growing together.
Museum and Stasi Prison
Walking through the museum and getting to know its exhibits makes a strong impression. Considering that the tour is led by ex-prisoners, it can be understood that this event is not suitable for the faint of heart.
Once this prison held people whose guilt was not proven, as well as those who tried to flee the country or simply applied to leave. Before the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Stasi was active in identifying disgruntled citizens of its country, spying on tourists in Russia and had a reputation as one of the most effective spy organizations.
In the museum, tourists can see interrogation rooms, investigators' offices, instruments of torture and surveillance equipment. Of particular interest is the spy equipment built into buttons, ties, watches, birdhouses, tree stumps, and other items.
After viewing the exposition, you will find out how the people who visited this prison felt. Neither old films nor books describing the drama of those years can immerse you in the atmosphere so much.
Conclusion
To visit the most interesting museums in Berlin, you need to spend more than one day. However, the time you spend within their walls, you will remember for a lifetime. Here you will find a lot of impressions, youenrich yourself with knowledge, and in some cases even master new skills and abilities.
