Neues Museum

Das Neue Museum in Berlin‑Mitte bildet zusammen mit den Bauten der Museumsinsel einen Teil des UNESCO‑Weltkulturerbes und dient als zentrales Haus für Altertums‑ und Vorgeschichte. Es steht am Kupfergraben innerhalb des Ensembles der Museumsinsel und nimmt damit eine Schlüsselposition im historischen Museumsviertel ein.

Built in the mid‑19th century as an extension to the Altes Museum, the building suffered severe damage during the Second World War and fell into decay in the postwar period. As part of the Masterplan Museumsinsel, the building was restored in simplified form between 1999 and 2009; interventions followed the principle of complementary restoration: existing fabric was secured and conserved, destroyed parts were reinstated in their volume, and the new constructions are recognisable as modern additions. This approach formed part of a comprehensive concept to interlink the island museums and sparked public debates about reconstruction and monument conservation.

Today Das Neue Museum houses the Ägyptische Museum und die Papyrussammlung, the Museum für Vor‑ und Frühgeschichte and a portion of the Antikensammlung. The display is organised across several levels: the lower level introduces pharaonic and Greek themes up to notions of the afterlife; the entrance level shows finds such as those from Troja and Zypern; the second level presents, among other exhibits, the famous bust of Nofretete in the Nordkuppelsaal and the bronze figure of the Xantener Knaben; the top level is systematically dedicated to the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic through to the Iron Age, with outstanding objects such as the Berliner Goldhut from the Bronze Age. Within the framework of the Masterplan, the building is part of the planned Archäologischen Promenade and of visitor access via the James‑Simon‑Galerie.

The restored building thus brings together museum‑historical significance, outstanding collections and its role in the concept of the Museumsinsel as a place of research and education. In 2019 Das Neue Museum was the most visited house of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, with 828,000 visitors.