Crime Scene: Museum – SPK at the Long Night of Museums
News from 08/20/2026
This year’s Long Night of Museums is themed ‘Crime in Berlin’. The SPK is taking part with thirteen venues.
On Saturday 29 August 2026, Berlin’s museums will take on a criminal theme: under the banner ‘Crime in Berlin’, the Long Night of Museums, running from 6 pm to 2 am, invites visitors to discover art, history and archaeology from a new perspective. The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK) is taking part with thirteen venues and a varied programme.
The programme ranges from the museums at the Kulturforum and those on Museum Island, via the Hamburger Bahnhof, to the Stabi Kulturwerk and the museums in Charlottenburg. The focus is on art forgery, art theft and criminal cases involving museums. Visitors can experience the forensic investigation first-hand through guided tours, workshops, music, performances and hands-on activities for the whole family.
Moka Efti, Art Detective, Workshops
At the Gemäldegalerie, visitors can embark on a journey of discovery featuring, amongst other things, jazz by Canaletto and a trip to the Kulturforum tree nursery. The Neue Nationalgalerie is offering workshops and short guided tours, whilst the Museum of Decorative Arts is sure to catch the eye with a light installation on its façade. At the Museum of Musical Instruments, highlights include a Pink Panther mystery concert, Tango Noir, stories of forgeries and a dance and music show in the style of the legendary Moka Efti café.
Museum Island is also set to become a hotspot for the Long Night. At the Bode Museum, art investigator René Allonge from the State Criminal Police Office and Stefan Simon, director of the Rathgen Research Laboratory, will talk about art thieves and forgers. Architectural and themed tours, museum quizzes and hands-on activities in the other venues on Museum Island invite visitors to explore the collections in unusual ways.
Exciting and surprising ways to engage with the collections
“The Long Night of Museums is one of the highlights of Berlin’s cultural calendar. With thirteen venues, we are once again the biggest player this year. This year’s theme opens up exciting and surprising ways to engage with our collections,” says SPK President Marion Ackermann.
At PETRI Berlin, live restoration sessions and demonstrations offer insights into archaeological research and restoration. At the Hamburger Bahnhof – National Gallery of Contemporary Art, visitors can get creative themselves in a forger’s workshop. The Stabi Kulturwerk is focusing, amongst other things, on the role of press photography in crime reporting and is opening its restoration studios to the public. At the Museum of Photography and the Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection, further hands-on activities and treasure hunts invite visitors to make their own discoveries.
The Long Night of Museums offers access to 75 museums and more than 750 events with a single ticket. Tickets cost 23 euros, or 17 euros with a concession. Children up to the age of twelve are admitted free of charge but require their own ticket.