Altes Museum (Old Museum)

The Altes Museum presents the world of classical antiquity and lets you experience the full wealth of this exciting period in human history. Admire the artistic works of the Greeks, Etruscans and Romans: from small art and vases to jewellery and sculptures.

A new educational ideal: Prussian King Frederick William III as a patron of cultural education

With the beginning of the 19th century, the bourgeoisie in Prussia became more self-confident. They wanted the royal cultural collections to be made accessible to the people. This wish also corresponded to the educational ideal of the scholar Wilhelm von Humboldt: everyone should be able to develop by studying ancient civilisations, among other things. Friedrich Wilhelm III shared Humboldt's view and commissioned the museum building in 1825. He appoints the famous urban planner and architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel as master builder. Schinkel designed the ground plan of the Altes Museum in a classical style inspired by Greek antiquity. The building finally opens its doors in 1830.  

The museum suffers severe damage during the Second World War, but reopens in 1966. 

Since 1990, it has been one of the five houses of the Museum Island to UNESCO World Heritage. 

Architectural jewel at the Lustgarten

The Altes Museum impresses as it did on the first day with its dignified staging: walk through the Berliner Lustgarten. As you walk through this green area towards the monumental building, you will be overwhelmed by the sight of the Altes Museum. 

18 colossal Ionic columns at the front give you a foretaste of what is about to await you. The impressive flight of steps then takes you on a journey into antiquity. The entrance rotunda, modelled on the Pantheon, gives you the feeling of entering a temple of culture with its sculptures. 

Take a journey into the worlds of antiquity

On the main floor, the exhibition then essentially takes you through Greek sculpture from the late 7th century BC to the 1st century BC. to the 1st century BC, but also through vases and small artefacts. The treasure chamber filled with gold and silver jewellery under a blue canopy is particularly unusual. In a second "Blue Chamber", you can learn about the fine art of ancient coinage: The important collection of over 1,300 coins ranges from the 7th century BC to the 3rd century AD. 

On its upper floor, the building houses the largest collection of Etruscan art outside Italy - which you can once again view in its entirety following the museum's renovation. You can also see the famous Hildesheim Silver Treasure.

Highlights of the Altes Museum:

• An unforgettable first impression: The light-flooded rotunda with ancient statues under magnificent coffers
• high-calibre ancient statues such as the "Throne Goddess from Taranto" or the so-called "Berlin Goddess"
• Fishermen of Aphrodisias
• Clay Tablet of Capua seen here on the left, on which the second longest Etruscan text is written
• Etruscan art such as the house-shaped urn from Chiusi
• Portrait busts of Caesar and Cleopatra
• Hildesheim Silver Treasure
• Inventory of a warrior's tomb from Tarquinia

Sights around the Museum Island

The Museum Island is one of the most important institutions in Berlin's diverse museum landscape. The Neue Museum is also located here. The building houses the Egyptian Museum with the Papyrus Collection, the Museum of Prehistory and Early History with the marvellous Golden Helmet, as well as parts of the Collection of Classical Antiquities. One of the highlights is the world-famous bust of Queen Nefertiti. The Pergamon Museum to the north is unfortunately currently closed due to renovation work. A visit to the Alten Nationalgalerie is also highly recommended. It is dedicated to art from the 19th century to the First World War. The picture gallery there awaits you with masterpieces by famous painters such as Caspar David Friedrich, Paul Cézanne and Claude Monet. 

Practical information for your visit to the Altes Museum

The Altes Museum is centrally located in Berlin Mitte. The nearest multi-storey car park is located directly on Karl-Liebknecht-Straße, opposite the Dom. Getting here by public transport is particularly convenient: 

The U-Bahn line U5

runs directly to Museum Island, or you can take one of the S-Bahn lines S5, S7 or S75 to Hackescher Markt station. From there, walk around 600 metres to the Altes Museum. Alternatively, you can also take buses 100 or 200, which depart from Alexanderplatz or Brandenburger Tor, for example. Get off at the Lustgarten stop  

Use the Berlin WelcomeCard Museum Island. This allows you to visit all the museums on Museum Island free of charge for three consecutive days (special exhibitions are excluded). If you have the Museumspass, you can even visit 50 other museums in Berlin free of charge. Admission to the Staatliche Museen Berlin is generally free for children and young people up to the age of 18. Groups and school classes can book themed guided tours in advance.

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