Museum Island

Museum Island occupies the northern part of the Spree Island in the Mitte district of central Berlin, opposite the Berlin Cathedral and the Lustgarten. Over about a hundred years, from 1830 to 1930, the Prussian kings and the German state built five museums here, creating one of the most important museum complexes in Europe. UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site in 1999.

The first was the Altes Museum, designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel and opened in 1830, with its long colonnade facing the Lustgarten. It was followed by the Neues Museum in the 1850s, the Alte Nationalgalerie in 1876, the Bode-Museum, first opened in 1904, and the Pergamonmuseum, completed in 1930. The museums were badly damaged in the Second World War and divided between East Berlin collections and those of the West until reunification.

Each museum has its own focus. The Altes Museum shows Greek and Roman antiquities. The Neues Museum, reopened in 2009 after restoration by David Chipperfield, holds the Egyptian collection with the bust of Nefertiti. The Alte Nationalgalerie displays 19th century paintings and sculpture, and the Bode-Museum holds sculpture, Byzantine art and a large coin collection. The Pergamonmuseum is known for the Ishtar Gate of Babylon and the Market Gate of Miletus.

The James-Simon-Galerie, opened in 2019, serves as the main visitor centre. The Pergamonmuseum has been closed for a major renovation since 23 October 2023. As of 2026 the museums announced a partial reopening on 4 June 2027, while the wing with the Ishtar Gate is to stay closed for longer. A panorama exhibition opposite the island remains open.

Each museum sells its own ticket, and the Museumsinsel day ticket, at 24 euros, covers all open museums on the island. Children and young people up to 18 enter free but still need a free ticket from the counter or online. Booking a time slot online is recommended for the Neues Museum. Hackescher Markt S-Bahn station and Museumsinsel U5 station are both a few minutes' walk away. Most museums close on Mondays.