German UNESCO World Heritage Day 2010 on the Museum Island Berlin and completion of the colonnade courtyard

06.06.2010

The 6 June 2010 is a day to commemorate for the National Museums in Berlin. Ten years ago, UNESCO Director General, Koichiro Matsuura, presented the certificate declaring the inscription of the Museum Island Berlin on the UNESCO World Heritage List in a ceremony held in the rotunda of the Altes Museum. The island of the arts is the only World Heritage Site where not only the architecture itself is granted protection by UNESCO, but also the various collections contained within it. Marking the anniversary of this occasion, a ceremony was held in the Altes Museum with invited guests including politicians, business leaders and community spokespersons. The anniversary of receiving the honour coincides with the German UNESCO World Heritage Day, when the public's attention is turned to the 33 World Heritage Sites in Germany as places of special historical conservation.

Our chief priority over the last decade has been the renovation work on this unique architectural ensemble, making it ready to face the future. A shining example of our efforts is the Neues Museum that reopened in October of last year and has subsequently garnered a host of awards for its design. A further step towards completing the Museum Island Masterplan is the completion of the colonnades, rebuilt between the Neues Museum and the Alte Nationalgalerie, as well as their surrounding courtyards and gardens, which were also formally opened on 6 June. The entire middle section of the Museum Island has now been rebuilt and restored and with it Berlin has regained an area of stunning beauty for the public to enjoy.