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Simple language

Welcome!

Welcome to the website of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (National Museums in Berlin).
We are made up of 19 museums and 4 institutes.

Museums collect important objects.
These objects are preserved, studied and put on display. 
Anyone can visit a museum and look at the objects. 
They illustrate the whole of human history, from the earliest known tool to modern paintings.

Institutes are places where scientists carry out research.

The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (National Museums in Berlin) was originally called “Royal Museums”.
They were founded by King Frederick Wilhelm III of Prussia. 
The Altes Museum (Old Museum) was the first to be built.
The other museums followed later. 

The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin is part of the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation).

The following institutes also belong to the Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz:

A foundation is an institute which receives money from a founder.
It must use this money for a specific purpose.
The Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz receives its money from the German government and
from the individual federal states which make up the Federal Republic of Germany.

The purpose of the Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz is to preserve and look after objects
of cultural value for the benefit of the German people,
and to keep adding to its collections.
Examples of objects of cultural value are the objects which are on display in the museum.

Alte Nationalgalerie:
Here you can see paintings and sculptures
which were created between the year 1800 and the year 1900.

Altes Museum:
Here you can see objects and works of art which were made by
the Greeks, Etruscans and Romans.
Greeks, Etruscans and Romans were groups of people who lived a very long time ago.

Bode-Museum:
Here you can see sculptures, coins and paintings.

Ethnologisches Museum in the Humboldt Forum:
Here you can see objects which were made by people in distant lands.

Friedrichswerdersche Kirche:
Here you can see works of art.

Gemäldegalerie:
Here you can see paintings from Europe which were
painted between the year 1200 and the year 1800.

Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart:
Here you can see works of art which were created by artists of our own time.

Kunstbibliothek:
Here you can read books.
There are also exhibitions of artworks on paper.

Kunstgewerbemuseum:
Here you can see objects which people once used.
For example: chairs, plates and lamps.

Kupferstichkabinett:
Here you can see exhibitions of artworks on paper.

Museum Berggruen:
Here you can see paintings by famous artists.
Their names are Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Paul Klee and Alberto Giacometti.
The museum is closed just now.

Museum Europäischer Kulturen:
Here you can see objects which were made and used by people in Europe.

Museum für Asiatische Kunst in the Humboldt Forum:
Here you can see artworks from Asia.

Museum für Fotografie:
Here you can see exhibitions of photographs.

Neue Nationalgalerie:
Here you can see works of art.
They were made between the year 1900 and the year 1945.

Neues Museum: 
Here you can see works of art and objects which were made a very long time ago.
The objects come from different countries and are very old.

Pergamonmuseum:
Here you can see objects and works of art which were made a very long time ago.
The objects come from distant lands. For example: Egypt, Iran, Turkey and Syria.

Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg:
Here you can see works of art.
These artworks were created by artists who belonged to the Surrealist movement.
Surreal means literally “above reality”.
So the artworks are about dreams and things which are not real.

Schloss Köpenick:
Here you can see furniture and objects which people once used.
For example: cupboards, chairs, cups.

These are our institutes:
Gips-Formerei
Institut für Museumsforschung
Rathgen-Forschungslabor
Zentralarchiv

You will find lots of information on our webpages.
There is also a contents page, called the “Site map”.
You will find the word “Site map” at the foot of every page.
If you click on this word, you will get a list of all the important webpages.

At the top right click on “Service” and the word “Search” will appear.
Underneath, a field will open.
Type a word into the field and click on the “magnifying glass” icon.
It will give you a list for the word you just typed.

On our “Home” page, you will find up-to-date information.
There is one large field showing current exhibitions.
Below that are smaller fields with latest news and events.
Underneath, there are various fields that show other things.

As well as the “Home” page there are many subpages.
You will find the subpages divided up into six groups.
We call these groups “menus”.
From the menus, you can choose whatever you are interested in.

You will find the main topics in the large menu at the top.
If you would like to find out more about our museums, click on “Museums and institutions.”

If you would like to find out more about our research, click on “Research”.

If you would like to find out what you can see in our museums,
click on “Exhibitions”.

If you would like to take part in an event, click on “Education and outreach”.
Or click on “Events” to find an overview of all the events taking place in our museums.

If you would like to know when our museums are open or how to get here, click on “Plan your visit.”

In the section “Service” at the top right you can find more topics:

If you click on “About us” you can learn more about the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.

For example, there is a text explaining the history of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.

If you would like to catch up with the latest news and events, click on “What’s new”.

If you click on “Newsletter” you can sign up to our newsletter.
A newsletter is a circular sent electronically to an email address.

If you click on “Press”, you will reach an area with information for journalists.
Journalists work for newspapers, radio and television.

If you click “Tickets online” you will reach a new webpage where you can buy tickets to see exhibitions at our museums.

If you click on “Shop”, you will reach another webpage, where you can buy catalogues and other products.

If you have a question that you would like to ask us, click on “Contact”.
You will find an email form, which you can use to send us your question.
We will try to answer you as soon as we can.

We hope you will enjoy clicking through our webpages.