Berlin

The museums of Berlin reflect the city’s complex historical background; from antiquity to the present and beyond, they are dedicated to the most various cultural themes, from archaeology to contemporary art, from history to modern architecture and design.

Some of the most renowned institutions are located on Museuminsel, an island situated in the heart of the city, in the middle of the Spree river, and possibly the place you should not miss in Berlin. The Museuminsel area is currently undergoing a major project of renovation and urban redevelopment aimed to unify all its museums into a coherent ensemble with a view to make it one of the world’s largest and most advanced cultural districts.

Yet, we suggest you take your time and visit also other extraordinary cultural venues across the capital of Germany – such as those located around and inside the Charlottenburg Palace, and in the Kulturforum area -, or the acclaimed Jewish Museum designed by Daniel Libeskind, the equally impressive Topography of Terror, and the outstanding Bauhaus design museum.

Cover image: panoramic view of Gendarmenmarkt square in Berlin; photo by Thomas Keller

museums in Berlin

Alte Nationalgalerie

Alte Nationalgalerie

Berlin - Bodestraße 1-3
closed: Mondays

The Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery) in Berlin is the most important museum of 19th century art, Romanticism, and Impressionism in Germany

Altes Museum

Altes Museum

Berlin - Am Lustgarten
closed: Mondays, December 24 & 31

The Altes Museum (Old Museum) in Berlin is a museum of ancient art, world-renowned for its vast collections of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman antiquities

Bauhaus Archive / Museum of Design

Bauhaus Archive / Museum of Design

Berlin - Klingelhöferstraße 14
closed: currently closed for renovation works

The Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum für Gestaltung (Museum of Design) in Berlin is a museum dedicated to the famous Bauhaus school of art, architecture and design

Bode Museum

Bode Museum

Berlin - Am Kupfergraben
closed: Mondays, December 24 & 31

The Bode Museum is an art museum in Berlin, featuring sculpture, art and numismatics from Antiquity to the 18th century, located in the Museuminsel district

Bröhan-Museum

Bröhan-Museum

Berlin - Schloßstraße 1a
closed: Mondays, December 24th and 31st

Bröhan-Museum is a museum in Berlin focused on fine and applied arts from the late 19th century to WWII, especially art nouveau, art deco and functionalism

Gemäldegalerie – Berlin

Gemäldegalerie – Berlin

Berlin - Matthäikirchplatz
closed: Mondays, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve

The Gemäldegalerie (Picture Gallery) is an art museum, focused on European old master's painting, located in the Kulturforum of Berlin

Haus der Kulturen der Welt

Haus der Kulturen der Welt

Berlin - John-Foster-Dulles-Allee 10
closed: Tuesdays

The Haus der Kulturen der Welt (House of World Cultures) in Berlin is an exhibition center and forum dedicated to international contemporary arts

Jüdisches Museum | Jewish Museum Berlin

Jüdisches Museum | Jewish Museum Berlin

Berlin - Lindenstraße 9-14
closed: none

The Jüdisches Museum (Jewish Museum) in Berlin is a museum dedicated to 2,000 years of history, culture and traditions of the Jewish communities in Germany

Kunstgewerbemuseum – Kulturforum Berlin

Kunstgewerbemuseum – Kulturforum Berlin

Berlin - Matthäikirchplatz
closed: Mondays, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve

The Kunstgewerbemuseum in Berlin is the oldest museum of decorative arts in Germany, with a collection of craft, design and fashion spanning 1,200 years

Museum Berggruen – Berlin

Museum Berggruen – Berlin

Berlin - Schloßstraße 1
closed: Mondays, December 24 & 31

The Museum Berggruen in Berlin is one of the most important German museums of modern art, renowned for its works by Picasso, Klee, Matisse, and Giacometti

Museum für Naturkunde

Museum für Naturkunde

Berlin - Invalidenstraße 43
closed: Mondays

The Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin is a Natural History museum in the Mitte borough of the German capital, it is one of the largest of its kind in Germany

Neue Nationalgalerie – Berlin

Neue Nationalgalerie – Berlin

Berlin - Potsdamer Straße 50
closed: Mondays, currently closed for renovation

The Neue Nationalgalerie is a museum of modern and contemporary art, located in the Kulturforum of Berlin, housed in an iconic building by Mies van der Rohe

Neues Museum Berlin

Neues Museum Berlin

Berlin - Bodestraße 1-3
closed: open daily, except Christmas Eve

The Neues Museum (New Museum) in Berlin is a museum focused on art from Prehistory to the Middle Ages, located in the heart of the German capital

Pergamon Museum – Berlin

Pergamon Museum – Berlin

Berlin - Bodestraße 1-3
closed: open daily, except December 24 and 31 (afternoon)

The Pergamon Museum (German: Pergamonmuseum) is an archaeological museum in Berlin's Museumsinsel area, most famous for its collection of ancient monuments

Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg

Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg

Berlin - Schloßstraße 70
closed: Mondays, and December 24 & 31

The Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg is an art museum, which holds a large collection focused on Surrealism, located opposite the Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin

The DDR Museum – Berlin

The DDR Museum – Berlin

Berlin - Karl Liebknecht Strasse 1
closed: open daily

The DDR Museum in Berlin is a private museum in the Mitte borough that presents the 51-year-long history of East Germany

Topographie des Terrors – Topography of Terror

Topographie des Terrors – Topography of Terror

Berlin - Niederkirchnerstraße 8
closed: open daily, except January 1, and December 24 & 31

Topographie des Terrors - Topography of Terror in Berlin is a famous museum presenting the history of the Nazi regime's oppression, crimes and persecutions

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in-depth articles: museums in Berlin

Daniel Libeskind | The Jewish Museum Berlin – part 1

Daniel Libeskind | The Jewish Museum Berlin – part 1

In April 1989, the winning project for the Jewish Museum in Berlin, a design by Daniel Libeskind, gave rise to a fundamental change of perspective

Daniel Libeskind | The Jewish Museum Berlin – Part 2

Daniel Libeskind | The Jewish Museum Berlin – Part 2

The second part of Inexhibit Magazine's article on the Jewish Museum in Berlin by Daniel Libeskind. The Glass Courtyard and the Academy

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