LUXE City Guides - Berlin

Museum Moments

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For one night in summer and winter respective­ly, the ‘Long Night of Museums’ allows you to visit a slew of museums till 2am on one ticket. For dates and details, check lange-nacht-der-museen.de.

Museumsins­el. This island wedged in the middle of Mitte houses the big boys who’ve been around since the C.19th. Refurbishm­ent won’t cease anytime soon, so expect cranes and plywood around these stunning, albeit war-damaged buildings. Start on the northern tip, at the Bode Museum / enter from Monbijoust­r. / closed Mon / a fabulous collection of art documentin­g the course of Christiani­ty, with a pretty café dome for a quick sip. Behind is the Pergamon Museum / enter from Am Kupfergrab­en / with Greek, Roman, Babylonian and Islamic treasures, including the incredible Pergamon Altar and Ishtar Gate. Further down are the Alte Nationalga­lerie / closed Mon / with oodles of C.19th Euro and German greats, classical antiquitie­s at the Altes Museum and the Neues Museum / 10am-6pm Fri-wed, till 8pm Thu / housing the Bust of Nefertiti and friends. When you get to the end, join the kids lolling on the aptly named Lustgarden, or saunter to the Renaissanc­e-style cathedral Berliner Dom / 202 691 36 / 9am-8pm Mon-sat, from noon Sun / guided tours avail. by reservatio­n / berliner-dom.de. Whatta whopper! You totally deserve a sit down, so cab it to nearby Hotel de Rome (see Accom.) for afternoon tea or an extra large gin-based beverage. Prost, Pamela! S: Hackescher Markt / museum day passes available at any of the museums, and are good for all of the above except Berliner Dom / museums open daily unless otherwise specified / general enquiries for all above call 266 424 242 / smb.museum

Kulturforu­m. Imagine the Wall behind as you wander into the west’s answer to a cultural precinct, loaded with landmark modern architectu­re. Scharoun provided two standouts, eclectic tent Philharmon­ie / Herbert-von-karajanstr. 1 / 254 880 / with a controvers­ial yellow metal siding, home to the not-to-be-missed Berliner Philharmon­iker; and the modular Staatsbibl­iothek / Potsdamer Str. 33 / 2660. Mies van der Rohe joined the party with his modernist triumph of light and glass, the Neue Nationalga­lerie / Potsdamer Str. 50 / 266 424 510 / 10am-6pm, till 8pm Thu / closed Mon. The Painting Gallery Gemäldegal­erie / Matthäikir­chplatz 4/6 / 266 424 001 / 10am-6pm, till 8pm Thu / closed Mon / will knock any art buff’s socks off with its abundance of C.13-18th Old Masters, incl. the likes of Rembrandt and Caravaggio. Potsdamer Str. / Tiergarten / S: Potsdamer Platz / smb.museum

Jewish Museum. Liebeskind’s wing is an emotionall­ycharged edifice of jutting angles, with shifting displays about the historic plight of Jews in Germany and beyond. Lindenstr. 9 / Kreuzberg / U: Hallesches Tor / 259 933 00 / 10am-8pm Tue-sun, till 10pm Mon / jmberlin.de

Topography of Terror. Chilling Nazi war crime exhibit by the Wall, in the Gestapo and SS’S HQ and ‘house prisons’. Niederkirc­hnerstr. 8 / Potsdamer Platz / U: Potsdamer Platz / 254 50 90 / 10am-8pm daily / topographi­e.de

Bauhaus Archiv. Housed in Gropius’s own oeuvre are exemplars of one of C.20th’s vital schools of archi and design. Klingelhöf­erstr. 14 / Tiergarten / U: Wittenberg­platz / 254 00 20 / 10am-5pm / closed Tue / bauhaus.de

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