The Pergamonmuseum will reopen on 4 June 2027 following several years of comprehensive renovation. In the northern central building, the Hellenistic architectural ensembles of the Antikensammlung will once again be accessible, while the entire collection of the Museum für Islamische Kunst will be on display across two floors in the North Wing. The Vorderasiatisches Museum will also present a selection of highlights in the main hall of the North Wing.
The southern central building, which houses the Roman architectural ensembles of the Antikensammlung, as well as the South Wing with the collection of the Vorderasiatisches Museum, will remain closed for renovation until approximately 2037.
The Pergamonmuseum was constructed between 1910 and 1930 according to designs by Alfred Messel and executed by Ludwig Hoffmann. Prior to this, a much smaller building had stood on the same site for a short period, housing excavation finds from the Berlin museums from Pergamon, Magnesia on the Maeander, and Priene, including an initial reconstruction of the Pergamon Altar. However, problems with the subsoil quickly led to structural damage, and the building had to be demolished in 1909.
The new, larger Pergamonmuseum was built as a three-wing complex and houses the architectural ensembles of the Antikensammlung, the Vorderasiatisches Museum, and the Museum für Islamische Kunst. Through its impressive reconstructions of archaeological monuments—Pergamon Altar, Market Gate of Miletus, Ishtar Gate of Babylon with the Processional Way, and the Mschatta Facade—the Pergamonmuseum has gained worldwide renown and has become a major attraction on Museum Island.
As part of the Museumsinsel Master Plan, the Pergamonmuseum has been undergoing renovation in two construction phases since 2013. The first phase includes the North Wing and the northern central building. These areas contain two halls of the Antikensammlung with the Pergamon Altar and other Hellenistic structures, as well as the entire collection of the Museum für Islamische Kunst, including highlights such as the Mschatta Facade, the Aleppo Room, and the Alhambra Dome. In addition to the refurbishment and modernization of the building fabric and the improvement of accessibility, necessary restoration work has been carried out on the objects and the presentation concepts have been renewed.
In the Altar Hall and the Hall of Hellenistic Architecture of the Antikensammlung in the central building, a new wall color scheme and significantly improved lighting will enhance the presentation of the exhibits. At the same time, the aim remains to preserve the original presentation concept of 1930 and to recreate a Mediterranean atmosphere through light and color, allowing visitors to experience the objects almost in their original archaeological context. All architectural reconstructions of the Antikensammlung have undergone extensive restoration during the renovation.
Numerous post-war overpaintings have been removed from the modern additions to the west façade of the altar, allowing the reconstruction to be experienced with renewed freshness and finely detailed surfaces. The mosaic from the royal palace of Pergamon, previously displayed in the Hall of Hellenistic Architecture, will return to the Telephos Hall above the grand staircase of the altar. The exhibits in the Hellenistic Hall evoke the impression of an ancient Greek agora, a marketplace, with a large statue of Athena at its center.
The Museum für Islamische Kunst is presenting a completely new exhibition in the north wing, one that places greater emphasis on dialogue and the connections between historical artifacts and contemporary cultures. The 25 new exhibition rooms offer a journey through 1,400 years of cultural history in the Near and Middle East. Following extensive restoration and spatial contextualization, the monumental palace façade of Mschatta, the colorful Aleppo Room, the prayer and residential niches, and the famous Alhambra dome are presented in a new light.
Some 1,000 objects, including spectacular loans, are on display across more than 3,300 square meters, many of them shown for the first time and presented in innovative ways. The spectrum ranges from themed atmospheric spaces to games and inclusive offerings to contemporary voices.
The internationally renowned Museum für Islamische Kunst has been an integral part of the Pergamonmuseum almost since its inception and, starting in 2027, will be the largest and most innovative institution dedicated to Islamic art worldwide.
The Vorderasiatisches Museum will also present a temporary “showcase” in the Schlütersaal of the reopened North Wing starting in 2027. Selected objects, notably the monumental victory stele of the Assyrian King Esarhaddon, weighing over six tons, will then offer a preview of the new exhibition in the South Wing beginning in 2037.
The second construction phase comprises the South Wing of the building, housing the collection of the Vorderasiatisches Museum and the Hall of Roman Architecture of the Antikensammlung. Renovation work in this section began on 23 October 2023, and since then it has been closed to the public. The South Wing will remain closed after the reopening of the North Wing and northern central building in 2027 and is expected to reopen in 2037.
In this phase as well, comprehensive building modernization measures will be carried out, accessibility improved, and objects restored and re-presented. Highlights of the Vorderasiatisches Museum include the Ishtar Gate and the Processional Way of Babylon, as well as numerous other objects such as the gate lions from Zincirli, the cone mosaic façades from Uruk dating to the 4th millennium BCE, and the basin from Assur.
As part of the renovation, a completely new roof will be installed above the Processional Way and the Ishtar Gate, making it possible to regulate UV exposure to the ancient objects—an essential measure for conservation. This intervention alone presents a major logistical challenge, as the permanently installed reconstructions must first be protected with temporary walls before a weatherproof roof is erected and the original roof structure is entirely replaced.
Apart from the Vorderasiatisches Museum, the South Wing of the Pergamonmuseum also houses the Miletsaal of the Antikensammlung, featuring the Market Gate of Miletus and other Roman-period architectural elements. Here, too, the daylight ceiling will be renewed and the wall color adapted to recreate the Mediterranean atmosphere already envisioned in the original 1930 exhibition concept.
In addition, as part of the renovation, the Pergamonmuseum will be expanded to include a fourth wing, which will enable a continuous tour route in the future. The construction project will also include an underground “Archaeological Promenade” connecting the Pergamonmuseum with the surrounding buildings (the Bode-Museum, the Neues Museum, and the James Simon Gallery). The outdoor areas surrounding the Pergamonmuseum will also be redesigned, and the Pergamon Bridge, the pedestrian bridge over the Kupfergraben, will be rebuilt.
Significant artefacts from Pergamon along with the monumental panorama by Yadegar Asisi are on display in the exhibition building Pergamonmuseum. Das Panorama, located in the direct vicinity of the Museumsinsel. The Pergamonmuseum is completely closed to the public due to construction work.
