2016 - News - Detail Page - Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz

The foundation of Berlin's Museum Island 200 years ago will be celebrated with a ceremony in the Kolonnadenhof on World Heritage Day (1 June) at 11 a.m. - the foundation stone for the Altes Museum was laid on 9 July 1825. The ensemble of the Altes Museum, Neues Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie, Bode-Museum, Pergamonmuseum and James-Simon-Galerie has also been a UNESCO World Heritage Site for over a quarter of a century. With millions of visitors every year, the "island" is one of Germany's biggest crowd pullers.

Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer: "Museum Island makes Berlin a cultural cosmopolitan city - and not just since it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here we encounter unique cultural treasures such as Nefertiti, the Ishtar Gate and the 'Monk by the Sea' as well as impressive architecture from many different eras in a very small space. The Museum Island not only represents Prussian-German history, it also shows and explains the cultural self-image of a changing nation. This makes it a cultural history that can be experienced and walked through. Protecting this heritage and preserving it as a treasure trove of experience for future generations is a high priority for the federal government."

Berlin's Senator for Culture Sarah Wedl-Wilson: "The Museum Island is undoubtedly a highlight and attraction in our capital and more than just an ensemble of buildings with 200 years of history: it is a living cultural centre of the city and is constantly changing. We are celebrating its 200th anniversary with all Berliners and our guests. The launch of the island's anniversary, in which many artists and cultural institutions from Berlin are involved, shows how the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation is networked with the city and is open to it. This is also symbolised by the wonderful initiative to bring every school class in Berlin to the Museum Island once over the next five years. Experiencing art and culture at an early age creates and preserves a lifelong interest, an awareness of what defines us: creative, artistic design."

In June 1999, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation adopted a masterplan for the restoration and contemporary development of the Museum Island, which had already been submitted as an option in the UNESCO application process. Since then, three of the five historic buildings have been completely refurbished and reopened: the Alte Nationalgalerie in 2001, the Bode Museum in 2006 and the Neues Museum in 2009. The Pergamon Museum is currently being renovated - the north wing with the Pergamon Altar will reopen in spring 2027 with a spectacular new presentation by the Museum of Islamic Art.

"We are no longer thinking in years, we are already counting the months until we can finally walk through the altar hall again. This will be a major event in the 200th anniversary programme. Of course, we must not forget that the renovation of the Altes Museum is still pending. Urgent action is needed here and we very much hope that Karl Friedrich Schinkel's house, which is so much in the spotlight this year, can benefit from the BKM's 'Cultural Buildings Campaign'. It is important to me that we not only preserve the Museum Island World Heritage Site, but also develop it further and, above all, reach new groups of visitors. This is exactly what the anniversary programme aims to achieve," says SPK President Marion Ackermann.

As an internationally unique ensemble in the heart of the German capital, the Museum Island is home to six museums and eight collections, complemented by the nearby Pergamon Panorama, the Archaeological Centre and Haus Bastian - Centre for Cultural Education. It was the 22nd German World Heritage Site to be added to the UNESCO list. The explanatory statement calls it an outstanding example of the concept of the art museum, which dates back to the time of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, and "a unique ensemble of museum buildings that illustrates the development of modern museum design over a period of more than a century". The organic connection between the buildings and the collections on display is also emphasised.

The first building to open on Museum Island Berlin in 1830 was the Royal Museum, built according to plans by Karl Friedrich Schinkel and now known as the Altes Museum - one of the outstanding examples of classicist architecture in Germany. It was followed by the Neues Museum (1859), the Alte Nationalgalerie (1871), the Bode-Museum, formerly the Kaiser Friedrich-Museum (1904), the Pergamonmuseum (1930) and the James-Simon-Galerie (2019), all built by leading architects in the style and materials of their time.