Europe - Editor - 04 May 2012
Named for the five museums located on it, Museum Island lies in the River Spree in Berlin's central Mitte district. These world-class museums – Altes Museum, Neues Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie, Bode Museum and Pergamon Museum - are each unique in their architectural structure, as well as in their contents and themes. Museum Island was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 1999, being described as a social phenomenon owing its origins to the Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century.
The first exhibition hall was built in 1797, prompted by German archaeologist and art historian Aloys Hirt, and the area soon became established as a venue dedicated to the arts and science. This designation was confirmed by King Frederick William IV of Prussia in 1841. The Altes Museum was completed in 1830 under the direction of Prussian architect and city planner, Karl Friedrich Schinkel. It houses the antique collection of the Berlin State Museums – one of the world's most comprehensive and important collections of classical art, including thousands of ancient Roman, Greek, Cypriot and Etruscan artifacts. Fittingly the architecture of the building has clear ancient Greek influences with a classical portico.
The Neues Museum was completed in 1859 based on plans by one of Schinkel's students, Friedrich August Stüler. The original building was destroyed in World War II, but was eventually rebuilt and re-opened in 2009. The highlight of the Neues Museum collection is undoubtedly the Egyptian papyrus collection, a bust of Queen Nefertiti and works of art from the era of Eqyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten.
The Alte Nationalgalerie, also designed by Stüler, was completed in 1876 and currently houses a collection of artwork belonging to the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. This extensive collection includes superb examples of Romantic, Classical, Biedermeier, Impressionist and Modernist artwork. The Bode Museum on Museum Island was completed in 1904, having been designed by German architect Ernst von Ihne. Visitors to the museum will have the opportunity to see examples of Byzantine art, as well as coins, medals and sculptures.
The Pergamon Museum is particularly interesting in that it contains the original Pergamon Altar, shipped from Turkey and reconstructed at the museum, as well as the original Market Gate of Miletus dating back to around 120 AD. The museum also contains part of the Berlin Collection of Classical Antiquities, with the balance of the collection being displayed in the Altes Museum.
Germany's city of Berlin is a fascinating destination to explore, and visitors to Museum Island will find a wealth of culture and history waiting to be discovered.
Nestled in a valley between sandstone, vine-covered hills in Germany's Mosel wine region, the city of Trier is thought to have been established in 16 BC by Roman Emperor Augustus. Trier lies on the banks of the Moselle River which flows through France, Luxembourg and Germany, watering the fertile land surrounding it. The city has abundant evidence of its Roman origins, bearing testimony to its reputation as having been the Roma Secunda, or Second Rome, during the time of Roman rule. Among the many historic sites to be visited in Trier, are the Cathedral of Trier, Porta Nigra, the Imperial Baths, the Hauptmarkt, and the more recent Karl Marx House.
Built in an era that came to be known as Sweden's Age of Greatness, the 17th century Skokloster castle is located on the shores of Lake Mälaren in the Svealand region of Sweden. The Baroque-style castle was designed by Swedish architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder, and constructed for Carl Gustaf Wrangel, a high-ranking Swedish military commander, statesman and count. Construction started in 1654 and the castle was completed in 1676. After changing ownership a number of times, it was bought by the Swedish government in 1967 and today stands as a museum and monument to the Swedish Age of Greatness – a period in the mid-17th century when Sweden was one of the major influential powers in Europe.
