Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation
Altes Museum
© Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Foto: Bernd Weingart
Hauptbereich
Altes Museum
The Altes Museum, built between 1823 and 1830 and designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, is one of the most important works of Neoclassical architecture. With its clearly ordered exterior and an interior structure designed with exacting precision in the ancient Greek style, Schinkel pursued Humboldt's idea of opening the museum as an educational institution for the public.
The monumental order of the 18 fluted Ionic columns, the wide stretch of the atrium, the rotunda - an explicit reference to the Pantheon in Rome - and finally the grand staircase are all architectural elements which, up to this point, were reserved for stately buildings.
Originally built to house all of Berlin's art collections, the Altes Museum has been home to the Collection of Classical Antiquities since 1904. The building was severely damaged by fire in the last two years of the war. Reconstruction work lasted until 1966.
Ancient worlds have been open for people to explore in a completely new display in the Altes Museum since 24 February 2011. Now that the Etruscans and Romans on the building's upper floor have already enthralled some 250,000 visitors since their unveiling in July 2010, the Collection of Classical Antiquities is about to present its world-famous collection of Greek art in a wholly new guise on the main floor.
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