Altes Museum

The Altes Museum (German for Old Museum), is one of several internationally renowned museums on Berlin's Museum Island in Berlin, Germany. Since restoration work in 1966, it houses the antique collection (Antikensammlung) of the Berlin State Museums. The museum was built between 1825 and 1828 by the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel in the neoclassical style to house the Prussian Royal family's art collection. Until 1845, it was called the Royal Museum.

The Building

The building uses the Greek Stoa in Athens as a model. The museum uses the Ionic Order to articulate the front, which is the only part of the exterior with any visual sign of the Orders; the other three remaining facades are of brick and stone banding. The body of the building is raised on a plinth, giving the building a greater stature as well as preventing the risk of damage to the artwork from damp or flooding, for which the island was renowned. The Spree river from which the island protrudes was actually reconfigured by the architect, in order to allow enough ground space for the museum to be built. Necessary roadway changes, bridge expansions, and canals were introduced around the same time as the Altes Museum construction. The original dome was an exact hemisphere, modelled on the Roman Pantheon. It was made invisible to the exterior observer because of the museum's proximity to the Berlin Cathedral; the museum was not meant to compete with the cathedral's dome.

History

In 1830 it opened to the public but was quite badly damaged during the Second World War. After restorations in 1966, during which the dome was rebuilt to form a half ellipse, it re-opened as a museum displaying ancient Greek and Roman artifacts. It sits in the Lustgarten near the Berliner Stadtschloss (Berlin City Palace), adjacent to the Berliner Dom, which was also partly designed by Schinkel. Combined with the new facades of the Berliner Dom and the Berliner Stadtschloss Berlin City Palace, the Altes Museum became one of the heads of authority: God, King and Art, Schinkel's "Athena am Spree".

The Altes Museum currently features a large neon sign proclaiming "ALL ART HAS BEEN CONTEMPORARY", a neon installation by minimalist artist Maurizio Nannucci.

Footnotes

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External links

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Lika Xeladze
30 November 2014
can you tell me about how many visitors visit this museum in a year?
added at 20.17: I need more informations about this museum , can anybody help me? except museum what is the other activities there?
Katrina
19 November 2014
Part of Museum Island. Was closed when we came but it's in/next to Lustgarten. Beautiful place for photos.
Ilias Chantzakos
3 July 2016
A good but not great collection of Greek, Etruscan and Roman antiquities. If you're into this part of history, this is the best museum to visit, although not as impressive as Pergamon or Neues.
Aleksandra Dudek
15 November 2015
Ancient Greece and Rome Empire collection. Well maintained stuff and a lot of knowledge to be known. If you are going to spend whole day on the Museum Island it's better to take one ticket for 18eur
Murat
29 May 2023
Awesome! lf you are up to very serious Greek and Roman culture and heritage, this is your spot!
Ekaterina Chuprunova
10 May 2016
Очень величественное здание, большие залы с греческим и римским искусством. Приятно здесь провести время. Экспозиция организована хорошо
Cenk Bayrakçı
6 October 2014
Önündeki at heykeli ve Berliner Dome ile paylaştığı bahçesiyle guzel bir müze.
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