Introduction to the Pergamon Museum
The Pergamon Museum is one of Berlin’s must-see attractions and is part of the Museum Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, it has been completely closed for renovations since October 2023, and many parts will remain closed for 14 to 20 years – until 2037 to 2043.
Renovation and Restoration
Some of the museum’s key highlights will greet visitors a decade before the rest of the building’s renovations are completed. The museum’s north wing and the impressive Pergamon Altar Hall, which houses the famous entrance to the ancient Greek temple for which the museum is named, are scheduled to reopen in early 2027. The hall has not been accessible since 2014.
Securing Outdated Structures
The Pergamon Museum was built on behalf of the German Emperor Wilhelm II from 1910 to 1930 according to plans by Alfred Messel. The museum’s restoration and expansions follow many of the architect’s original designs. The museum is a listed building and the renovation preserves its main architectural features and original construction techniques, as well as various elements such as the windows.
History of the Museum
A few years after the Pergamon Museum opened in 1930, it was badly damaged by air raids and artillery fire during the Second World War. After the war, the GDR, where the museum was located, did not have the necessary funds to properly renovate the building. The current restoration process will preserve some traces of war damage as evidence of the city’s history, while repairing the parts that have naturally deteriorated over time.
Modernization and Accessibility
To better preserve the millennia-old exhibits, lighting, air conditioning, and safety standards will be modernized, and the entire museum will be made accessible to people with disabilities. The museum’s foundations had to be secured, and a new entrance hall was built.
Unstable Foundation and Unexpected Costs
Due to its location on the Spree on unstable, sandy ground, the museum required significant reinforcement. The foundations were anchored with more than 700 high-strength steel rods, so-called micropiles. This created an unexpected engineering challenge: while drilling into the earth to install the micropiles, two pumping stations from the original site were discovered. The budget for this first phase of renovation is almost 500 million euros – twice as much as originally estimated. The entire restoration project is expected to cost around 1.5 billion euros.
Highlights to be Rediscovered in 2027
The monumental Pergamon Altar, excavated by Carl Humann in the ancient city of Pergamon in the 1870s, still has its own hall. The original museum was built specifically around this 2nd-century BC temple structure. The altar is decorated with a high relief frieze depicting the battle between the giants and the Olympian gods. In classical lists, it is described as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Other Exhibits
Other large exhibits were moved to new rooms, including the Mshatta facade, a treasure of early Islamic art, and the Aleppo Room, a series of elaborately painted wooden panels of a reception room. The Alhambra’s dome, an intricately carved wooden dome from the 14th century, was also temporarily relocated. Once renovated, the space will include various features designed to stimulate visitors’ senses, such as audio installations with poems and scent stations that emit smells associated with the cedar and poplar dome’s origins.
A Unique Combination of Islamic Art and Antiquity
The Pergamon Museum’s collection is unusual in that it combines Islamic art and ancient Greek treasures. The concept of combining these styles was established with the museum’s founding to honor the fact that its ancient exhibits were excavated in Mesopotamia and the Eastern Mediterranean – the same regions where Islamic cultures developed. This just shows once again that cultures never arise in complete isolation, but always exist through interaction with one another or in transcultural processes.
