Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum of Contemporary Art

A historic location in the heart of Berlin

The Hamburger Bahnhof is Berlin's museum for contemporary art. It presents collections as well as special exhibitions and various event formats. The station itself was one of Berlin's major terminus stations in the 19th century - a place of arrival, departure and transition. This history still characterises the museum today, which is located in the centre of Berlin.

A building with history

The Hamburger Bahnhof building bears witness to important moments in German history: from industrialisation to the destruction of the Second World War, the division and the Wall, right through to the reunification of the capital. Like Berlin itself, Hamburger Bahnhof reflects complexity, disruption and constant change.

Art as a space for dialogue and debate

Art and society come together at Hamburger Bahnhof. Art opens up new perspectives on our present and encourages dialogue. It creates spaces for dialogue and encounters in which everyone can contribute their own experiences and perspectives. This creates a polyphonic space in which every contribution counts.

Collection and impulses for the future

As a collection museum for contemporary art, the Hamburger Bahnhof addresses both local and international society with its exhibitions and programmes.

The Hamburger Bahnhof sees itself as an open offer for Berliners and their guests. With free programmes and participatory formats, the museum appeals to people from different walks of life and with international stories. The Hamburger Bahnhof listens, exhibits and invites people to participate.

The collection

The collection of the Nationalgalerie is particularly characterised by its holdings of artist interiors, environments and installations that embody the expanded concept of art . These include works by artists such asJohn Cage, Bill Viola, Peter Campus, Via Lewandowsky, Andrea Pichl, Wolf Vostell, Rebecca Horn, Qin Yufen, Marcel Broodthaers and Aernout Mik.

In painting, works by artists such as Sturtevant, Gerhard Richter, A. R. Penck, Sigmar Polke and Imi Knoebel form central components of the collection. Their works are not based on direct reality, but on a perception of the world characterised by media, which continues to influence painting to this day. Younger artists such as Michel Majerus, Corinne Wasmuht and SUSI POP show how the visual is changeable in the digital age. Works by Dierk Schmidt and Jutta Koether illustrate the expansion of painting into space.

What can I see?

Experience works at the Hamburger Bahnhof by artists such as:

Absalon, Franz Ackermann, Akinbode Akinbiyi, Nevin Aladağ, Kader Attia, Nairy Baghramian, Tina Bara, Sibylle Bergemann, Sophie Calle, Isaac Chong Wai, Edith Dekyndt, Jason Dodge, Haris Epaminonda, Ayşe Erkmen, EVA & ADELE, Rainer Fetting, Dan Flavin, Thomas Florschuetz, Annette Frick, Isa Genzken, Petrit Halilaj & Álvaro Urbano, Flaka Haliti, Mona Hatoum, Georg Herold, Sabine Herrmann, Rebecca Horn, Annette Kelm, Anselm Kiefer, Klaus Killisch, Martin Kippenberger, Barbara Klemm, Jannis Kounellis, Ignas Krunglevicius, Alicja Kwade, Klara Lidén, Marwan, Julie Mehretu, Olaf Nicolai, Emeka Ogboh, Manfred Paul, Hermann Pitz, Sigmar Polke, SUSI POP, Robert Rauschenberg, Daniel Richter, Thomas Ruff, Anri Sala, Selma Selman, Timur Si-Qin, Katharina Sieverding, Florian Slotawa, Wolfgang Tillmans, Haegue Yang, Corinne Wasmuht, Carrie Mae Weems, Rachel Whiteread, Ruth Wolf-Rehfeldt, Holly Zausner

Joseph Beuys

With 15 key works, the parcours exhibited for the first time in the Kleihueshalle explores the complex work and reception of Joseph Beuys. View the environment "DAS KAPITAL RAUM 1970-1977" from 1980 as well as sculptures, drawings, multiples and some of his influential actions such as "I like America and America likes Me" from 1974. Experience how the artist used his work to conduct fundamental investigations and pose questions: About the nature of art, about language and about the limits and tasks of art.

For belonging and against exclusion

The Hamburger Bahnhof protects and promotes a space of belonging, respect and responsibility. The museum takes a clear stance against all forms of discrimination, hatred and marginalisation and is committed to respectful coexistence.

The National Gallery Berlin

The Hamburger Bahnhof is part of the Nationalgalerie collection. Other important items in the collection can be found in the Alte Nationalgalerie, the Neue Nationalgalerie, the Museum Berggruen and the Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection.

Other sights in the heart of the capital

The government district is in the immediate neighbourhood of the Hamburger Bahnhof. Take a look at the centres of power where the politics of our country are shaped. Here you can take a long walk around the Federal Chancellery, the Reichstag, the offices of the members of parliament and the Bundestag administration. It is also worth making a detour to what is now Berlin Central Station. It was opened in 2006 and features modern architecture. The Museum of Natural History is also very close by. A highlight is undoubtedly the skeleton of a brachiosaurus. The largest dinosaur skeleton in the world is almost 14 metres high. In the "Evolution in Action" collection, there is the so-called biodiversity wall: over 3,000 animals from different habitats. It is then not far to the zoo. Here you can relax a little in nature. In summer, you will also find cosy beer gardens in the zoo, such as the Schleusenkrug or the Café am Neuen See.

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