Berlin has a number of excellent museums although none are as well known as say the Louvre or the British Museum. However, what they lack in international fame they do make up for by being mostly conveniently located within close proximity on Museum Island in the heart of Berlin. Museum Island was the location of the first settlements in Berlin during the 13th century and has been at the center of action ever since.

Approaching the island from Unter den Linden Boulevard, you cross the magnificent Schlossbrücke (Castle Bridge), which is lined with classical statues. Directly across from the bridge is the copper colored Palast der Republik (Palace of the Republic), the former parliament of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) (See more in East Berlin journal entry).

On your right is the Schlossplatz (Castle Square), formerly known as the Marx-Engels Square. The Hohenzollern-family, which first ruled Prussia and then a united Germany, had their seat of power here for about 500 years. The Stadtschloss (City Castle) was not severely damaged during the Second World War but was torn down by the East Government in the early 1950s when such symbols of noble class excesses were out of favor with the egalitarian aims of the Soviet-style GDR.

To the left is the Berliner Dom – this Protestant Cathedral was constructed in 1750 in a more simple Baroque style but altered several times since. It went through a Neo-Classical style, then Neo-Baroque and then refashioned by the East German authorities shortly before the fall of the Wall. Reconstruction is continuing. With a little bit of luck you can enjoy a free organ recital while studying the rich Neo-Baroque interior – program notices are posted at the door. Unless you are family or really interested, a visit to the recently opened Hohenzollern mausoleum in the basement is a waste of time and instantly forgettable.

Next to the Dom is the beautiful Neo-Classical Altes Museum which houses Greek and Roman antiquities. The Neues Museum houses Egyptian Antiquities but maybe closed at times due to restoration work. Some of the pillars of the veranda between these two museums seem to have bullet marks from the War – could also be dry rot, so don’t quote me on it.

You actually have to leave the island and reenter it to visit the magnificent Pergamon Museum, which houses reconstructed parts of ancient towns. (See separate Pergamon journal entry.) The last two buildings on the northern end of the island, the Alte Nationalgalerie and the Bodenmuseum, were both undergoing renovation during our visit but should reopen soon. Art treasures, which were also split up during the Cold War, will be regrouped and housed in the various museums and galleries.

Just off Museum Island towards Unter den Linden will be the new German History Museum. Meanwhile part of the collection can be seen nearby at the Kronprinzenpalast.

Combination tickets are available to include visits to all state run museums at surprisingly low fares.

In the early 19th century, then-crown prince, Friedrich Wilhelm IV, conceived the idea of turning an island in the River Spree into a "sanctuary of Art and Science." This began a period during which major museums were built while newly-rich Germany began buying up enormous quantities of art. The intent was to make Germany's museums as impressive as any in Britain or France; and it succeeded. Berlin, by the turn of the 20th century was one of the richest repositories of art on the planet.

With the coming of Hitler, however, what had been superb collections of contemporary German and European art were decimated: works were either sold off or simply destroyed. Impressionism, Expressionism, Cubism, all the newer movements in the art world of the times were declared "depraved." The Nazis spoke of "entartete Kunst" and it was to be eliminated.

After the war, what works were left in the vaults and storage rooms of Berlin's museums were shared out between the two Berlins. Much of the Egyptian collection, for example, wound up in the Ägyptisches Museum (Egyptian Museum) in Berlin-Charlottenburg, while other collections, such as the wonderful Pergamum collection remained in East Berlin's Pergamum Museum in Berlin-Mitte.

Now that the city has been reunited, the collections are being rearranged; the Museum Insel will be restored to its pre-eminent position as a storehouse for European and world cultural and artistic history.

The Museums of Berlin's Museuminsel

Altes Museum (The Old Museum)
This currently houses temporary exhibitions. This will soon change as many of its previous treasures are moved back in.

Neues Museum (The New Museum) - This one is nearing the end of its restoration.

Alte Nationalgalerie (The Old National Galerie)-- Hackescher Markt
It houses 19th and 20th century art and suffered enormous losses at the hands of the Third Reich.

Das Pergamon Museum (The Pergamon Museum)-- Am Kupfergarten
The Pergamon houses Roman sculpture and architectural treasures, early-Christian and Byzantine art, as well as one of the best collections of works from Babylon and the Middle East on the planet.

Das Bodemuseum (The Bode Museum) --
Part of the German Egyptian collection is here as well as numerous splendid Renaissance paintings.