Official opening of the exhibition “Pergamon - Panorama of the Ancient Metropolis”

06.10.2011
Pergamonmuseum

The eagerly awaited exhibition 'Pergamon - Panorama of the Ancient Metropolis' was officially opened in ceremonies spread over two days, on 29 and 30 September 2011. On both days, speakers enthusiastically praised the unique nature of the collaboration between the Collection of Classical Antiquities - National Museums in Berlin and Asisi GmbH, which has given rise to a show that is spectacular and scholarly at once and which is now on display for an entire year at the Pergamon Museum.

Spread over an area of 4500 square metres, in the Pergamon Museum's north wing and in the three central rooms dedicated to monuments in the east wing, some 450 exhibits from the Collection of Classical Antiquities' own holdings are now on display, most of which have never been exhibited in public before. The historical artefacts form a dialogue with the monumental 360° panorama designed by the artist Yadegar Asisi. When they enter the purpose-built temporary rotunda in the museum courtyard, visitors are transported to the acropolis of Pergamon as it was in the year 129 AD. The panorama thus provides viewers with a masterful insight into everyday life in antiquity, with the chance for them to checks its authenticity by taking a closer look at the exhibits on show in the museum itself down below.

The 'Tagesspiegel' was not alone in heaping praise on the project, when it said: 'The effect is overwhelming. […] This multimedia simulation of an ancient city will shape our concept of history for decades to come.' The higher-than-expected visitor numbers during the long weekend just gone are another indication that the 'Renaissance Faces' exhibition in the Bode Museum up the road now faces stiff competition from an exhibition that has both regional and national appeal.