Reopened Neues Museum is a New Home to Antiquities
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- The Treppenhalle (staircase hall) was recreated by architect David Chipperfield with a modern touch.
- (© picture alliance/dpa)
The Neues Museum (New Museum) on Berlin’s Museum Island has re-opened after a 60-year hiatus that earned it the nickname of “Berlin’s most beautiful ruin.”
The building, designed by Friedrich August Stüler, was built in 1859 and badly damaged during the Second World War. Following extensive renovations under the auspices of British architect David Chipperfield, the Museum has finally been restored and officially re-opened on October 17.
The meticulous restoration process has taken into account its’ status as a World Heritage Site and closely followed restoration guidelines set out in the Venice Charter. This approach has enabled Chipperfield to contrast restored elements of historical beauty with new elements reflecting the past.
The Neues Museum is enticing visitors with world-famous exhibits such as the bust of Queen Nefertiti and provides a new home to three collections from Berlin State Museums: the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection, the Museum of Pre- and early History and the Collection of Classical Antiquities.
The Museum Island, upon which the Neues Museum stands, is set to become the world’s largest universal museum of world art and culture. A recent decision to rebuild Berlin’s Stadtschloss, the city palace of Prussian kings, and the conversion of more buildings in the immediate vicinity of the island into additional museum space will realize this ambition.
Though the completion of the project is still several years off, the Neues Museum is more than an adequate stop-gap until that time.
