The German Historical Museum is distributed on two buildings.
Since June 2006 in the Baroque arsenal, constructed in 1705, the permanent exhibition with the title "German history in images and testimonials from two millenia" is shown.

The new extension, work of the architect Ieoh Ming Pei, houses temporary exhibitions with topical reference to German and Wuropean history of the 20th century.

Permanent exhibition - inaugurated in June 2006


Exhibitions 2008/2009:

  Arthur Szyk – Bilder gegen Nationalsozialismus und Terror
     August 29 to january 4, 2009

  Im Namen der Freiheit - Verfassung und Verfassungswirklichkeit in      Deutschland 1849 – 1919 – 1949 – 1989
     September 19 to january 11, 2009

It is one of the concert halls with best acoustics worldwide!
One of the building's peculiarities is that the orchestra is located in the centre, surrounded by the audience.
Another reason to visit the phlhHier sind also zwei von vielen anderen Gründen, warum Sie während Ihres Besuchs in Berlin die Philharmonie genießen sollten. Sie wurde zwischen 1960 und 1963 von Hans Scharoun entworfen, der der Architekt des Wiederaufbaus von Berlin in der Nachkriegszeit war.

The Berlin philharmonic orchestra became very famous under the direction of Herbert von Karajan, who was the head of the orchestra from 1955 until his death in 1989. The currant musical director is Sir Simon Rattle ist gegenwärtig der Orchesterchef.

In 1741 Knobelsdorff, architect and friend of King Frederick the Great, build the opera house "under the lime trees" according to the wishes of the enlightened monarch and lover of the arts. Actually it was the first musical theatre ever to be built outside a palace. The opera, currently directed by Daniel Barenboim, still has an excellent international reputation and, in the 2004 ranking of a specialist magazine, won the awards for the best orchestra and best choir. Operas are performed in the original language, with subtitles in German.
Tickets available already from € 7.

Have a look at the current programme online to get more detailed information about concerts and other musical events taking place at Staatsoper Unter den Linden.

Since 1968, this “temple of glass and light”, designed by Bauhaus master Mies van der Rohe and surrounded by sculptures like Henry Moore’s “Archer”, is dedicated to modern art. The exhibition comprises works of 20 th century painters like Kirchner, Klee, Dix, Dalí, Miró and others, taking the visitor on a trip through the history of classical modern art: German expressionism, cubism, surrealism, etc. There is also a sculpture garden visitors can enter on request.

The huge lower-ground floor is partly dedicated to the permanent collection, partly to the museum’s temporary exhibitions that have gained international fame.

Following the impulse of the Frankfurt national parliament, an artist movement began to call for a museum dedicated to German art. The museum was built from 1866 to 1876 according to plans by Schinkel’s disciple Friedrich August Stüler. The equestrian statue in front of the building represents Prussian king Frederick William IV who died in 1860. The building was one of the first on the Museums' Island to be completely restored to former beauty.

The gallery spans the time from the German classical period to early modern painting, comprising romantic, impressionist and expressionist style. Besides the works of famous German painters like Menzel and Liebermann, French impressionists like Monet, Cézanne, Renoir and Manet are also represented.
The picture is completed by the sculptures section, featuring names like Schadow and Rodin.

The Berlin Art Gallery is one the city's youngest museums: it started as an association in 1975 and was inaugurated at its present location in October 2004.
The foundation and the museum want to be open for everybody, focussing on modern and contemporary art, from 1870 onwards. The collections includes photography and architecture, the city of Berlin being the topical focus as well as promotor of the museum and source of its objects.

The famous Berlin Jewish Museum is only a few steps away from Berlinische Galerie.

As a consequences of the partition of the city, Berlin possessed three opera houses and two ballet companies, a big financial burden for the endebted city.
Acclaimed by the Berlin public, in 2005 the National Ballet was founded, with the famous dancer Vladimir Malakhow (see photo, in the purple dress) taking over the direction.

There are numerous Berlin theatres offering high quality performances in various styles. We will just cite a few that may be especially interesting to non-German-speaking visitors.

The music halls of the "Theatre of the West"enjoy a high reputation.

The idea of Berlin cabarets in the Roaring Twenties still lingers in many heads and some visitors hope to catch a glimpse of these legendary times.

For those who speak some German we recommend to visit one of musical entertainment shows at «Bar jeder Vernunft», in a tent-like buildings with an original interieur from early 20th century in Durch modernist style.