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The "200 Years of Museum Island Berlin" anniversary, which the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation will be organising together with numerous partners over the next five years, is set to become an international public event in the heart of Berlin. The anniversary is being organised under the patronage of the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner. It is supported by the Kuratorium Preußischer Kulturbesitz, the LOTTO-Stiftung Berlin, Flix SE and visitBerlin.

Kai Wegner, Governing Mayor of Berlin: "The Museum Island is a total work of art that symbolises the cultural wealth of the metropolis and, like the British Museum, the Louvre or the Prado, has become a global brand. It symbolises the German capital far beyond the borders of our country. And it is an important meeting point and place of education and exchange for our urban society. The extensive programme for the next five years will help to give a historically evolved ensemble of buildings of international importance in the centre of Berlin a new lease of life. Not only Berliners, but all citizens of this country can be proud of this."

Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth: "Spectacular cultural treasures and a unique architectural ensemble make Museum Island a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The federal government is very aware of its responsibility here: our aim is to preserve the Museum Island for future generations and make it fit for the future. That is why the federal government is providing considerable funding for the preservation, renovation and further development of the Museum Island. In this sense, the new SPK Act that has just been passed is very good news. It will also enable the institutions on Museum Island to act more independently, efficiently and quickly - and thus make their buildings and cultural treasures shine even brighter."

In the anniversary year, special exhibitions, outreach and education programmes will celebrate a unique success story that began on 9 July 1825. On this day, the foundation stone for Karl Friedrich Schinkel's Altes Museum was laid in Berlin's Lustgarten, making it the first public museum in Prussia. After its opening in 1830, the museum presented not only antiquities but also paintings from the royal collections. In the years that followed, the Altes Museum developed into a crowd-puller and an institution for basic archaeological research. With the special exhibition "Foundation Stone Antiquity. Berlin's first museum", which will be on display from 9 July 2025, the Collection of Classical Antiquities will commemorate its origins.

The "island" anniversary will kick off at the end of May with a kick-off weekend around UNESCO World Heritage Day on 1 June. Under the motto "Communicate, connect, inspire", there will be an open-air festival as well as numerous events in the buildings on Museum Island. A ZDF/arte documentary about the Museum Island will be presented as a world premiere in the first screenings in the James-Simon-Galerie. The two-part documentary tells the story of the Museum Island and thus also 200 years of German history on the basis of nine top works.

SPK President HermannParzinger says: "The anniversary is intended to attract Berliners and international guests to the Museum Island. Everyone - from Lichtenrade to Hellersdorf, from Spandau to Hohenschönhausen - should feel addressed. Even and especially those who have not been to the 'island' for a long time. We are happy to have strong partners at our side with whom we can organise this public event. Our sincere thanks go to them! Without them, this would not be possible in these times. One highlight will certainly be the partial reopening of the Pergamonmuseum in spring 2027! Cultural education is very important to us in our planning. Many of the formats we will be offering will showcase our museums as places of intercultural encounters, cultural diversity and lived tolerance. We want to show that the cultures of the world have always been mutually enriching and that ultimately there is more that unites us than divides us. Over the next five years, we would like to bring every school class in Berlin to the Museum Island at least once."

Matthias Wemhoff, spokesman for the Museum Island, promises exciting years: "The island deserves a five-year programme! For five years, fantastic museums and fascinating special exhibitions will keep inviting visitors to the island. Then there's the island summer with last year's celebrated Kolonnadenbar, which this year invites you to enjoy the island from Thursdays to Sundays from June to the end of August with a view of the Spree."

Press kit

• Press event schedule 25.2.2025
• Press release: 200 years of Museum Island Berlin
• Press Release: 200 Years of Museum Island Berlin
• Press Release: Exhibition Overview Museum Island 2025
• Press Release: Exhibitions on the Museumsinsel Berlin (Museum Island) 2025
• Press Release: Partners of the Anniversary
• Press Release: Partners and Sponsors
• Press Release: Board of Trustees of the Prussian Cultural Heritage
• Press Release: Kuratorium Preussischer Kulturbesitz
• Press Release: Partnership with Flix SE
• Press Release: Partnership between SPK and Flix

Press images at: https://www.preussischer-kulturbesitz.de/newsroom/presse/pressebilder/pressebilder-zur-museumsinsel-berlin.html

Project page: www.mi200.de