10 Specialty Museums in Mitte (Borough) That You Shouldn't Miss

Home to three famous museums - the Pergamon, the Altes and the Bode.

Staatliche Museen zu Berlin closed from Saturday onwards From Saturday, 14.03.2020, onwards all buildings of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin will be closed until further notice. This measure is intended to minimise the spread of the coronavirus. We ask our visitors for their understanding. The Kunstgewerbemuseum (Museum of Decorative Arts) is the oldest of its kind in Germany. It houses world-famous examples of European arts and crafts, including magnificent reliquaries made of gold and precious gemstones, exquisite vases of glass and porcelain, finely embroidered textiles, ornate inlaid furniture, and classic examples of modern industrial design. The permanent and special exhibitions hosted by the Kunstgewerbemuseum can be seen at two locations in Berlin: at the Kulturforum near Potsdamer Platz and in the picturesque setting of Schloss Kopenick on an island on the river Dahme. The Schloss Kopenick site features masterpieces of interior design from the 16th to 18th centuries.

The German Historical Museum presents itself in two buildings: In the unique Baroque Zeughaus and the neighbouring modern exhibition hall designed by the Chinese-American architect Ioeh Minh Pei. The 300-year old Zeughaus is one of the most important buildings of the Baroque period in Berlin and the oldest buildings at the boulevard Unter den Linden. In 2006 the Permanent Exhibition “German History in Images and Artefacts” was inaugurated here; it showcases 2000 years of eventful and enthralling German history as seen within its European context. 8000 selected objects from the extensive collections of the German Historical Museum furnish valuable evidence of history and reveal, on a surface area of 8000 square meters, a fascinating and vivid picture of the past. Supplementing the Permanent Exhibition are specialized temporary exhibitions displayed in the fascinating exhibition building designed by I.M. Pei. The spacious new structure with its glass and steel entrance lobby and distinctive winding staircase was opened in 2003. Definitive events and facets of German history are presented in a variety of special exhibitions on the four floors of the new building.

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 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 Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, of prehistoric objects from the Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte, and of classical antiquities from the Antikensammlung.

A classic car center with vintage cars for sale, glass garages, serviceActually no museum, but museum atmosphere in an old street car (tram) depotRestaurant and event locationNo admission fee

The first BODY WORLDS museum presents more than 200 unique plastinates that show the function of individual organs as well as common diseases. It gives insights into the highly complex structures of the human body and shows what connects us, keeps us upright and in motion, and what makes us laugh and love. Moreover, the exhibition opens the visitors’ eyes to various facets that determine our existence.