Unspecified/General

Facing the great park known as the Lustgarten on Museum Island in Berlin, the Altes Museum, or Old Museum, is a masterpiece of neoclassical architecture and the oldest of the five museums on the island, a building whose design has been admired and imitated for nearly two centuries. Completed in 1830 to designs by the celebrated architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel, the museum was among the first purpose-built public museums in the German lands, conceived to bring the royal collections of art and antiquities before the public and to embody the educational ideals of the age. Its long facade of eighteen Ionic columns, behind which lies a grand domed rotunda inspired by the Pantheon of Rome, is considered one of the supreme achievements of neoclassical design and set a model for museums across the world. Today the building houses the collection of classical antiquities, displaying Greek, Roman and Etruscan art, including sculpture, vases, jewellery and everyday objects that illuminate the civilisations of the ancient Mediterranean. As part of the ensemble of museums on the island, recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, it forms one element of a unique concentration of cultural treasures gathered on a single island in the River Spree. The combination of magnificent architecture and important ancient art gives the museum broad appeal. Tickets can be booked online or at the door, often as part of a combined island pass, and it welcomes visitors throughout much of the year across the seasons of the calendar. The grand rotunda at the heart of the building, modelled on the ancient Pantheon and lined with classical sculpture beneath its coffered dome, was conceived as a place of quiet contemplation, a secular temple in which visitors might be elevated by the encounter with great art, an idea that reflected the high educational ideals of the age in which it was built. The architect's mastery of proportion and the calm dignity of the design have made the building a landmark in the history of architecture, studied by students of the discipline the world over. The antiquities displayed within, drawn from the civilisations of Greece, Rome and the Etruscans, range from monumental sculpture to delicate jewellery and the objects of daily life, illuminating the cultures that lie at the root of the European tradition. Standing among the other great museums on the island in the river, all recognised together as a World Heritage Site, the building forms part of one of the most remarkable cultural ensembles in the world, and its combination of architectural beauty and ancient treasure rewards an unhurried visit.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: Bodestrasse 1-3, Berlin, Germany

Website: https://www.smb.museum/en/museums-institutions/altes-museum/

Opening Date: 03/08/1830