Modern history

The last two museums on the island, the Bode Museum and the Alte Nationalgalerie (the Old National Gallery), bring the story of European art into the modern era via the medieval period.

The Bode Museum, which dates from 1904, is located in a distinctive domed building that is decorated with flourishes of the Baroque period on the northern tip of the island. It brings together an eclectic collection of Byzantine and Gothic art from northern and southern Europe, with sculptures from the Middle Ages housed alongside artworks from the Renaissance and Baroque eras. It also has more than 50,000 coins on display.

The Alte Nationalgalerie, opened in

1876, brings us up to modern times with its assembly of 19th century artworks from the Romantic, Realist and Impressionist movements. This impressive edifice was built to resemble a Hellenic temple, conjuring up images of the Parthenon in Athens.