Neues Museum

OPENING HOURS Monday -Wednesday10:00 - 18:00 Thursday10:00 - 20:00 Friday -Sunday10:00 - 18:00 Last entry30 min. before closing Admission price Neues Museum 12,00 € Museum Island all exhibitions: 18,00 € Berlin's Neues Museum showcases the cultural history of our ancestors across the globe. The Neues Museum, housed in a beautiful neoclassical building, pulls together 9,000 interesting and unusual objects spread across three major historical collections.Take a journey through time and explore the history of Europe and the Middle East from the earliest Stone Age to the Middle Ages. Although the main attraction of the Neues Museum is undoubtedly the Nefertiti Bust, this is a small part of the museum's extensive collection of Egyptian antiquities, which comprises of sculpture, a huge collection of papyrus texts and literary works. The Nefertiti Bust is showcased alone in the domed hall in the north of the building - an impressive exhibit. The rest of the museum's buildings are equally impressive, and strike the perfect balance between modern style and classicism. It's no surprise that the Neues Museum is one of the most important 19th century buildings in Germany. The Neues Museum is built by classicist architect Friedrich August Stuler in the 19th century and is initially designed as an extension to the Old Museum. The museum is closed to the public during the Second World War and the building is extensively damaged during the bombing of Berlin. After the War ends, the condition of the building means that the museum remains closed, and it's not until 2003 that reconstruction begins under the supervision of famous British architect David Chipperfield. The original structure is preserved, with modern additions to the structure added. The Neues Museum finally reopens to the public in 2009. Today's museum brings together artefacts from the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection, and collections covering Early History and Pre-History. With 8,000 square metres over four separate levels, the museum contains around 9,000 historical exhibits. Why not visit the Ancient Egyptians by exploring the restored sacrificial tombs with real mummies in the basement? Or take a look at the impressive Barbarian Treasure trove, a collection of objects recovered from the bed of the River Rhine and thought to have been plundered during the 3rd century AD. High ceilings, arches and original frescoes frame the exhibits perfectly. Don't miss the extraordinary Berliner Green Head from ca. 350 BC. On the third level you will find an exhibition exploring life in the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages, where the standout exhibit is the famous Berlin Gold Hat — an elaborate golden headdress thought to be around 3,000 years old. Then take a trip through the archaeological world where you will see finds from several digs, along with explanations about the different archaeological methods used to excavate them. Finally, you'll arrive in the Stone Age, where items from the earliest human periods are on show. History The opening of the Neues Museum marked a key chapter in the history of 19th-century art, museum design, and technology. Designed by Friedrich August Stüler and built from 1843 to 1855, the building suffered severe damage during World War II, after which it was left as an abandoned bombsite. Emergency measures to secure the structure were only taken in the 1980s. Painstaking restoration work got under way in 2003 and was undertaken by the offices of the British architect David Chipperfield. The building’s façade and interiors were carefully preserved, the scars of the war were not patched over but rather incorporated into the restoration of the landmarked building. What emerged was a restored historical building that is simultaneously a modern museum. Chipperfield thus managed to lend this extraordinary building and former ruin a unique and wholly authentic splendour. The museum reopened its doors to the public in 2009 and combines geographically and thematically related exhibits pooled together from three separate collections at the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin: the collection of Egyptian art from the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection (Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung), of prehistoric objects from the Museum of Prehistory and Early History (Musuem für Vor- und Frühgeschichte), and of classical antiquities from the Collection of Classical Antiquities (Antikensammlung). This joint exhibition featuring exhibits of unparalleled breadth and diversity allows visitors to trace the development of prehistoric and protohistoric cultures, spanning from the Middle East to the Atlantic, from north Africa to Scandinavia.