The Museum Island, one of the cultural centres in Berlin at the north of an island in the Spree, is home to five museums: Pergamon Museum, Bode-Museum, Altes and Neues Museum and Alte Nationalgalerie. Therefore, she is one of the most important museum complexes in the world. Archaeological collections and the art of the 19th century are predominantly shown. Due to the catastrophic destructions during the Second World War the museums are undergoing extensive restoration until today which are supposed to lead them back to old beauty and significance.
The three-winged Pergamon Museum is home to the collection of antiques (Antikensammlung), the front Asiatic museum (Vorderasiatisches Museum) and the museum for Islamist art (Museum für Islamische Kunst). Between 1910 and 1930 the museum was constructed according to the plans of Alfred Messel and Ludwig Hoffmann. The reason for this was the by Carl Human discovered Pergamon Altar which counts as one of the highlights to this day. Other important exhibits include the Market Gate of Miletus, the Ischtar Gate with the Processional street of Babylon and the façade of Mschatta.
The construction of the renaissance museum, designed by Eberhard von Ihne, started in 1897 and ended in 1904. At first paintings and sculptures, the so called "High Arts", were exhibited. Today the Bode-Museum is still the home of an impressive collection of sculptures besides the museum for Byzantine Art and the Coin Collection.
The origin of this museum can be attributed to the idea of King Frederick William IV who had the idea that there should be a "Sanctuary for art and science" in the middle of Berlin. The building was planned by Friedrich August Stüler, however, it was finished by Johann Heinrich Strack in 1876. Today it displays the work of the Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Biedermeier, Impressionism and beginning Modernism.
Like the Alte Nationalgalerie the later king Frederick William IV influenced the planning of the Altes Museum. He gave sketches to Karl Friedrich Schinkel which the architect used partially as templates. Result is one of the most important buildings of classicism, which was constructed between 1825 and 1830. The permanent collection of antiques shows the art and culture of the Greeks, Etruscans and Romans. The ancient objects of the coin collection complete the insight into the antiquity.
The Neues Museum was planned by Friedrich August Stüler and constructed between 1843 and 1855. It allows the visitor to understand the pre- and early-historic cultures by connecting exhibits of the Egyptian Museum and the Papyrus Collection, the museum for pre- and early-history and the collection of antiques. Highlight of the tour are amongst other things the bust of Nefertiti and objects from Priam's treasure.
7000 historic exhibits give an insight into approximately 1500 years of German history until the ending of the 20th century in the permanent exhibition of the Deutsches Historisches Museum. The political history is the main focus, however, there are regular references to the daily life of various different social groups.
Do you want to wallow in Ostalgie (nostalgia for the socio-political infrastructure of the former GDR), hear more about how your parents lived or find out more about how the other side of Germany lived? In the DDR-Museum you learn of and experience in an interactive way how the inhabitants of the GDR used to live.
Checkpoint Charlie is probably the most famous border crossing-point which used to connect eastern and western Berlin. This is where the Wall-Museum opened in 1963 which gives you an insight into the history of the divided city, the building of the wall, but also into the worldwide, violence-free fight for human rights. Especially un- and successful escape attempts and objects such as for escape refurbed cars, a mini submarine and a hot-air balloon are in the focus.
In less than 10 minutes on foot from the hotel you can reach the Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer (Memorial Berliner Wall). Originally a part of the border strip this place serves as a central memorial of the German partition. Here you are told the dramatic occurrences of the German partition on the basis of traces.
Where can you report better about history than where it happened? The terrain became well-known as "Topographie des Terrors" (Topography of Terror) in the Niederkirchnerstraße where the history of this place is reported until this day. Between 1933 and 1945 the Reich Security Main Office, SS High Command and the Security Service of the SS High Command was located here. Those were the most important institutions of the National Socialist terror apparatus from where the crimes during the NS time were run.
The Museum für Naturkunde / Natural History Museum is the home of the world's largest dinosaur skeleton, a Brachiosaurus brancai, and is one of the largest museums of natural history in Germany. Only 4 minutes walk from Boutique Hotel i31. Evolution's impact and work is displayed here in a very interesting way. In doing so you can experience vividly the creation of the cosmos and Earth, the life and death of the dinosaur and the creation and migration of the continents. The museum tells you about Vulcans and meteorite impacts up to the mechanisms and phenomena which produce the diversity of life and species.