Detail page - Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz

Berlin. The Pergamon Museum on Museum Island Berlin will be completely closed to visitors from 23 October 2023. This step is necessary so that the basic refurbishment as part of the "Museum Island Masterplan" can continue as planned. The way has now been cleared for the second construction phase, which includes the south wing, the construction of a fourth wing and the connection to the other buildings on Museum Island. This means that preparatory measures can begin in autumn 2023 and construction work in 2024. The part of the building in question houses the Museum of Islamic Art, which is currently still accessible, the Museum of the Ancient Near East and the Miletus Hall, which is part of the Collection of Classical Antiquities.

The first, currently ongoing construction phase A comprises the north wing of the building as well as the centre section with the Hellenistic Hall and the Pergamon Hall. In future, the north wing will house the Museum of Islamic Art with its new permanent exhibition, while the centre section will continue to house the large objects of the Collection of Classical Antiquities. Construction of the north wing is still scheduled for completion in 2025, with the reopening expected in spring 2027.

Now that the decision has been made to proceed with the second construction phase, the urgently needed refurbishment of the south wing can also begin. This is in a very poor structural condition, which has an impact on the stability of the building and the safety of the exhibits. Among other things, there is an acute need for renovation due to the heavy moisture penetration of the building's façades and roofs. This can be traced back to war damage, but also to completely inadequate repairs in the following decades up to reunification. Due to the rapidly advancing structural decay and the completely outdated, failure-prone technical systems, a start must now be made on basic repairs. Costs totalling 722.4 million euros are estimated for the construction work that has now been decided. In addition, costs totalling around 295.6 million euros are forecast for risks and construction price increases during the construction project. The upcoming measures also include the construction of the fourth wing, the expansion of the missing sections of the building's connection to the Bode Museum and the Neues Museum, the preparation of the outdoor facilities and the construction of the new bridge over the Kupfergraben, the so-called Pergamonsteg.

With the current start of construction phase B and the resulting three-and-a-half-year total closure period of the building until 2027, the aim is to keep the entire construction project within a smaller time and cost framework than if it were extended further. The Collection of Classical Antiquities will continue to be open to the public during the entire closure period: In the immediate neighbourhood of the Museum Island, in the Pergamon Panorama, larger sculptures and important objects from the Pergamon Museum will continue to be on display in the coming years. The Museum of the Ancient Near East is preparing a new exhibition for this location. The museum is also planning to send individual outstanding objects as ambassadors to other museums in Berlin and around the world: for example, an intervention at the Hamburger Bahnhof and a thematic collaboration with the Kupferstichkabinett are planned, and a collaboration with the Louvre is in preparation. From winter 2023/24, the current (future historical) permanent exhibition of the Museum of the Ancient Near East will also be available online as a virtual tour. Large special exhibitions with international cooperation partners are also in preparation, for example on the topic of "Mesopotamia - the Cradle of the Kings". The Museum of the Ancient Near East will also move its artefacts from the main floor to depots and interim locations and restore them during the closure period.

During the closure period, the Museum of Islamic Art will move out of its current rooms on the upper floor of the south wing and set up its new, innovative permanent exhibition on both floors of the north wing. The exhibits, some of which are permanently installed, will not only be dismantled and reassembled in a new location during this time, but also restored, such as the Mshatta façade, the Aleppo Room and the Alhambra dome.

Further information can be found below and at www.bbr.bund.de/presse, www.bbr.bund.de/pergamonmuseum-bauabschnitt-a and www.bbr.bund.de/pergamonmuseum-bauabschnitt-b

Interview with Barbara Helwing (Director of the Museum of the Ancient Near East) and Stefan Weber (Director of the Museum of Islamic Art): https: //www.spkmagazin.de/pergamonmuseum