Museum Island

You are now standing on the Spree Island, the birthplace of Berlin. The 13th-century Berlin was nothing more than a small village of fishermen and hunters. The island is divided into two parts. You are currently standing at the northern tip, which is what interests us the most. You may already know its nickname: Museum Island. This site is a true masterpiece, whether that is artistic or architectural! And with good reason, as the greatest Prussian architects were behind its design, leaving behind them five magnificent museums that trace 6,000 years of artistic history from mankind! The person behind such an impressive project was no other than Emperor Wilhelm II. Inspired by the Age of Enlightenment, he surfed the wave of open-mindedness and sought to help others join the fun, thus the idea of making art accessible to all. As a result you have here one of the richest collections of artworks in the world. The entire complex is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Nazi regime had big plans to reconstruct the island, which, fortunately, never happened. However, after World War II, Museum Island lay in ruins. It was not until 1999 that authorities launched The Museum Island Master Plan for which involved a complete and extensive renovation of the site. As part of this plan, a central entrance and exhibition building was created: the James Simon Gallery, which opened in 2019. Today, the city is entering another decade of work, focused on renovating the Pergamon Museum and the development of an underground Archaeological Promenade. This underground passage will link four out of the five museums together, allowing visitors to travel between them while viewing precious ancient artifacts along the way.
Of course, you won’t be able to see everything in one day, but we will introduce you to each museum so you can get a sense of the incredible treasures within reach. That way, you can decide which ones to return to during your stay.
Pro tip: Check out the various City Passes available in Berlin as most of them include access to several museums. Otherwise, the 3-day Museum Pass grants entry to Berlin’s top museums for around 30 euros, making it a great value for art and history enthusiasts.