Please make a note of: Berlin Highlights 2012

Next year will see Berlin and Potsdam celebrating (the whole year through!) the 300th anniversary of the birthday of King Frederick II, better known as Frederick the Great. Iron military commander and composer of flute concertos, Prussian conqueror and builder of Sanssouci Palace – even during his own lifetime, the Prussian King was one of the most multifaceted personalities in Europe. There will be numerous events and exhibitions taking place in Berlin and Potsdam dedicated to the legendary king, whom Berliners affectionately refer to as “Old Fritz”.

“Old Fritz” at home

A large-scale show in the Neues Palais and the Sanssouci Garden will be focusing on his life “at home”. The “Friederisiko – Frederick the Great” exhibition will present both the known and unknown sides of the Prussian monarch. It will be held from 28th April to 28th October 2012 in the Neues Palais, a palace that Frederick designed himself – down to the smallest detail. Previously inaccessible rooms of the palace will be specially opened for this exhibition. An unusual installation by a young artist will form the basis for bringing one of the rooms to life.

For more information about the theme year, Frederick 300 can be found on our topic page.

775 years: celebrating Berlin’s anniversary

However, it’s not only the anniversary of the Prussian king’s birthday that’s making 2012 into a jubilee year for Berlin: the city is also celebrating its own 775th anniversary. First mentioned in official documents in 1237, it soon established itself as the dominating trading and market centre in the Brandenburg March, thanks to its excellent strategic location. The cradle of Berlin was in today’s Nicolaiviertel district, and that is where city is celebrating this anniversary on 28th October with a historic city festival. The Long Night of Museums on 25th August 2012 is also dedicated to a history of the city. On 8th and 9th September the oldest buildings in Berlin are the focus of the Day of the Open Monument.

Gerhard Richter Retrospective in the Neue Nationalgalerie

Gerhard Richter - top of the world ranking list of living artists. His paintings from photographs are among the most sought-after objects in the art market. F rom 12th February until 13th May the Neue Nationalgalerie is showing a major retrospective of the painter, sculpture and photographer.

Further Informationenn the exhibition "Gerhard Richter - Panorama", please visit our events page.

Karl Friedrich Schinkel – Berlin’s master builder

Schinkel’s buildings are the most well-known attractions: The Neue Wache on the Unter den Linden avenue; the Alte Museum on Museum Island; the Schauspielhaus at Gendarmenmarkt. He not only worked as an architect, he devoted himself to painting, drew and created many stage designs. A lot of unknown works of this universal artist can be seen from 7th September 2012 until 6th January 2013 in a special exhibition at the Kulturforum.

Ancient Egypt on Museum Island

The most beautiful girl in Berlin is celebrating her 100th anniversary in 2012: on Santa Clause Day 1912 the Egypt princess Nefertiti bust was discovered during excavations in Tell Amarna. Since that time the statue has been housed on the banks of the River Spree. The Neues Museum uses the occasion of this anniversary to host a special exhibition from 6th December 2012 until 13th April.

Berlin Biennale

Spring is Berlin-Biennale time: this forum for contemporary art, which has developed in recent years into a magnet for art enthusiasts from all corners of the world, is showing current work by young artists from in the KW Institute for Contemporary Art from 28th April until July 1st 2012. The curator is Polish artist Artur Zmijewski.

Further to the 7th Informationenn Berlin Biennale, please visit our events page.