2016 - News - Detail Page - Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz

The building, which was severely damaged in the Second World War and preserved as a ruin, has been restored over the last ten years according to plans by David Chipperfield and was handed over to the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation in March of this year as a modern museum building. The guiding principle of the reconstruction was the preservation of the historical elements with all traces of the building's eventful history and the careful handling of the cultural heritage in accordance with the Venice Charter, an internationally recognised guideline for the preservation of historical monuments. The total construction costs are around 200 million euros, which were financed entirely by the federal government. The Egyptian Museum, including the famous bust of Nefertiti, and the Museum of Prehistory and Early History (Staatliche Museen zu Berlin) will present their treasures there from October. Then, for the first time since the Second World War, all the buildings on Museum Island Berlin will be open again.

The Museum Island Berlin

The Neues Museum (built by Friedrich August Stüler 1843 - 1859) is one of the five buildings on Museum Island, which, as a unique ensemble of an educational landscape in the centre of Berlin, also represents 100 years of museum architecture. In 1999, UNESCO placed the Museum Island under its protection as a World Heritage Site. The refurbishment of the buildings and the contemporary development of the entire museum quarter, including a new entrance building (James Simon Gallery), is based on a master plan. The Altes Museum, Neues Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie, Bode-Museum and Pergamonmuseum present the art and culture of Europe and its roots in the Middle East from its beginnings to the 19th century. With over 3 million visits a year, they form one of the best-visited museum complexes in the world. Together with the planned Humboldt Forum on the Schlossplatz opposite, which will be dedicated to non-European art and culture, a centre of world cultures is being created here.

The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation

With its internationally outstanding museums, libraries, archives and research facilities, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK) is one of the largest cultural institutions in the world. Under its umbrella, it combines art and culture with science and research in a special way. It not only plays a central role in cultural, educational and scientific life, but is also one of the largest non-university research institutions in the humanities and social sciences in Germany and beyond. Founded in 1957, the foundation emerged from the collections and archives of the Prussian state and thus represents a significant part of Prussia's cultural heritage. It comprises the National Museums in Berlin, the Berlin State Library, the Secret State Archives of Prussian Cultural Heritage, the Ibero-American Institute and the State Institute for Music Research. Today, the SPK is supported by the federal government and all 16 federal states and is thus an expression of the nationwide cultural responsibility and the federal structure of the Federal Republic of Germany. Its collections document the cultural development of mankind from its beginnings to the present day, in all languages and from all regions of the world. It is one of the few institutions in the world that can unite various forms of cultural heritage (object, image, text and sound sources) under one roof and view them across all disciplines.

The National Museums in Berlin - an institution of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation

The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (National Museums in Berlin), with their historically developed buildings, form a universal museum for the preservation, research and communication of art and cultural treasures from the entire history of mankind. Their collections include art and culture from all over the world, archaeology and ethnology. They are presented at five locations in Berlin, one of which is the Museum Island (Collection of Classical Antiquities, Museum of the Ancient Near East, Museum of Islamic Art, Sculpture Collection and Museum of Byzantine Art, Coin Cabinet, Old National Gallery). The Kulturforum Potsdamer Platz/Tiergarten site includes the Picture Gallery, Museum of Decorative Arts, Museum of Prints and Drawings, Art Library, New National Gallery and Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum of Contemporary Art. The Museum Berggruen, Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection and Museum of Photography are located in Charlottenburg. The Dahlem museums include the Ethnological Museum, the Museum of Asian Art and the Museum of European Cultures. Köpenick Palace is a branch of the Museum of Decorative Arts. With its 15 museums, three research institutions and the Gipsformerei, the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin form a universal museum of art and culture from its beginnings to the present day.