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Press FAQ

Answers to frequently asked questions about visiting the branches of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin for representatives of the media.

Holders of a valid press ID receive complimentary admission to all branches of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. You can pre-book a free (time-slot) ticket through the online ticket shop.

Unfortunately, we cannot grant free admission to persons accompanying you unless they have their own press IDs.

At public press events held by the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, members of the media can usually purchase the official catalogue accompanying the exhibition at a 50% discount on the retail price. This offer applies only during press conferences. Regular retail prices apply at any other time in the bookstores on site or from the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin Webshop. Requests for review copies should be addressed to the respective publisher. The publisher’s name and contact details are listed in the corresponding press releases.

For other inquiries, please contact the Publications Department of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin: publikationen[at]smb.spk-berlin.de.

To stay up to date about the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, you can register to be added to our press mailing list.

Your personal data will be handled in accordance with data protection guidelines and will not be passed on to third parties. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. You can find more detailed information in our Privacy Policy.

Filming, Photography, and Audio Recordings

Official permission must be sought – and granted – before any filming, photography, or audio recording can take place in any of the branches of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. We differentiate between the following categories of requests:

  • filming, photography, and audio recording occurring as part of current press coverage on a particular museum and/or exhibition

  • filming, photography, and audio recording unrelated to current press coverage on a particular museum and/or exhibition
    – for commercial purposes
    – for educational purposes
    – as part of artistic projects

You can find detailed information on this in the Guidelines for filming and photography at the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (PDF, 94 KB).

If you wish to make video or audio recordings, or take photographs for the purposes of reporting on current events in the museum, you need to submit an application at least two work days before the desired date. We will process your application as quickly as possible and let you know whether your application has been approved.

Application for permission to make press images or make audio(visual) recordings as part of current press coverage

Filming, photography, and audio recordings unrelated to current press coverage on museums and exhibitions or for commercial purposes, educational purposes or artistic projects are possible upon request, with requests requiring a little more time to be processed and approval granted. We kindly ask that you take this into account when planning your shoots in our museums. We apologise for any inconvenience.

The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin is dedicated to expanding knowledge. Features and documentaries on art and cultural history often serve to bolster our museums’ educational activities. Such projects are coordinated by the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin’s Visitor Services in cooperation with the individual museums. The safety of museum objects and the safety of our visitors during opening times must always be respected. The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin supports formats in print and audio-visual media that serve to communicate exhibition content of our displays and as part of general press coverage on the capital of Berlin as a tourist destination.

When feasible, we also approve of artistic and educational projects in film and media. Requests to use our museums or venues as backdrops or locations for feature films or advertising are carefully examined before being granted or turned down. In reaching a decision we take into account the publicity value of your proposal for the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, the licence fee (open to negotiation), and the impact of your plans on museum contents and resources.

To ensure that we are able to handle all requests swiftly, please use the online form. Please fill out the application carefully before sending it off. We will contact you as soon as possible to discuss the matter in more detail. The processing time for your application can vary depending on the current number of requests and the overall workload, however you should expect a processing time of at least a week.

Application for permission to film, photograph, or record audio for commercial purposes, educational purposes or as part of artistic projects

In keeping with the educational mission of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, we support proposals submitted by school and university students, PhD candidates, teachers, and other individuals involved in education. What we require from you is written confirmation from the educational institution (your place of study/work) and a detailed description of your proposal.

Artistic projects are examined regarding project content, our museum resources, and feasibility. What we require from you is a detailed description of your project and exact details regarding your intentions in using our resources.

If you intend to use photographic materials commercially and would like to obtain a usage permit, please contact bpk-Bildagentur.

If you use the SPK’s copyrighted images and would like to obtain a usage permit, please also contact bpk-Bildagentur.

Costs may occur for the new production and provision of the digital copies, as well as for granting permission to use the images.

Please provide the following information with your image request: intended use, type of use (commercial, non-profit), circulation / number of website viewers, publication date, author, title, publisher / production.

bpk-Bildagentur
Märkisches Ufer 16-18
D-10179 Berlin

Telephone: +49 (0)30 266 43 67–00
Email: kontakt[at]bpk-bildagentur.de
Website: www.bpk-bildagentur.de

Should additional staff be required to supervise the filming, photography or audio recordings, then they will be supplied by a contractor with whome the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin has an existing working relationship, and the expenses will be passed on to the user. Each additional attendant is booked for a minimum of four hours at a pre-arranged hourly rate of approximately 24 euros per hour (before tax).

Press Images and Reproductions

The reprinting or online use of press photos offered for free download is permitted exclusively in the context of reporting on current events and only with the full attribution of the image credits. The photographic material may be used free of charge and without special permission for four weeks prior to the exhibition, during the exhibition, and four weeks after the respective exhibition periods. For any other use, media representatives are required to independently clarify questions of copyright and rights of use. Distribution to third parties is not permitted. The press images must be deleted from all online media four weeks after the end of the respective exhibition. Furthermore, alterations and manipulation of the images that change their intention are not permitted, as is their commercial use.

For the commercial use of these images or for their use in scholarly publications, please contact bpk-Bildagentur.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us at presse[at]smb.spk-berlin.de if you have any further queries about press images, rights of use conditions, or copyright issues.

Images of objects from our collections or of the buildings that are intended for commercial use or for use in scholarly publications can be obtained from bpk-Bildagentur. Through bpk-Bildagentur you can access over twelve million images in the areas of art, culture, and history featuring the museum buildings and collection objects of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.

bpk-Bildagentur
Märkisches Ufer 16-18
D-10179 Berlin

Telephone: +49 (0)30 266 43 67–00
Email: kontakt[at]bpk-bildagentur.de
Website: www.bpk-bildagentur.de

Mechtild Kronenberg
Head of Press, Communication, Sponsorship
Phone: +49 30 266423401
E-Mail: kommunikation[at]smb.spk-berlin.de

Markus Farr
Press officer Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Phone: +49 30 266423402
E-Mail: 

Fiona Geuß
Press officer Nationalgalerie
Phone: +49 30 39783416
E-Mail: 

Timo Weißberg
Press officer Dahlem
Phone: +49 30 266426803
E-Mail: presse[at]smb.spk-berlin.de

Konstanze Hausstätter
Permission for commercial purposes (film, photograph, or record audio request)
Phone: +49 30 266423412
E-Mail: k.hausstaetter[at]smb.spk-berlin.de