Berlin’s Museum Island specificly surrounds the modern history of Germany,-the ideas of enlightenment for the destruction of the second world war, from the era of the Cold War to its current ultra modern restoration, which has transformed the dress of museums into a tourist magnet.
Standing as a testimony for Europe’s architectural and cultural development, the historic complex of museum buildings was recognized by UNESCO in June 1999 as a World Heritage Site, and this year it is celebrating its 200th anniversary as the foundation stone of the first build was laid.
A heritage of knowledge
During the Napoleon Wars (1803–1815), when the French attacked the historic German state of Priest, several artifacts were robbed from its capital Berlin. When the looted works were refunded after the war, the priest leaders decided to create a museum to publicly demonstrate the treasure.
ALTES Museum (Old Museum) What is the first building in a series of five institutions which are later known as the island of Museum. Just called the “museum” in its early years, the foundation stone of the Altes Museum was laid in 1825, and it was opened in 1830.
At that time, after the decades of war, the Prussian was ruined economically and fundamentally, “and yet he invested in such a cultural building, hired the best architect of that time, [Karl Friedrich] Shinkel, “Harman Parazinger, the outgoing Chairman of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, tells DW. This is a fact that he prefers to point out in a particularly current context, as funding culture is important as a politician’s question.
Amidst the ideals of enlightenment, education was recognized as a priority. Thinker and politician Willhem Von Hambolt saw the museums as an important column of educational improvement he developed by him. “The museum, as a place of a civic beauty education, is very important for him,” Parzinger explains. “So it was more than creating a museum; there was a vision behind it, and art, with science, played a very central role.”
A museum dressed in more than 100 years
During the colonial era, the collection of ancient artifacts grew with the aspiration of the leaders to show the German national romantic artists. In Berlin, more museums were required to give homes to those works.
After this, four more major museums were added to the premises located in the northern part of the Spri Island, which in the historic heart of Berlin: opened in 1859 Neau Museum (New Museum); After Ulte Neshanlagalary (Old National Gallery) in 1876; In 1904, the Bod Museum (Caesar-Frideric Museum) came; And finally, the Paragaman Museum, Babylon’s monumental Eicher Gate was designed to give home, which was completed in 1930.
Short -term glory before World War II
For a few years before World War II, the museum island was one of the crown jewels of European culture.
The Nazis celebrated classical and ancient works in the museum island collection, which they saw as part of an alleged Arya heritage.
During World War II, the museum officials partially vacated valuable artifacts for underground bunkers, mines and palaces in Germany. The move saved many demonstrations – including the movement of Nepartity and large parts of the Paragaman Fraz – but many other treasures.
After the war, when the Soviet Lal Army captured the region in May 1945, the art collection across Germany was looted as a revival of war. The so -called trophy Brigade of the Red Army sent millions of historical items to Moscow and St. Petersburg, with several landing in private collections.
Many items were later returned to Berlin in the 1950s, especially during the rule of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, but it is estimated that about one lakh works of art, more specialized million books and manuscripts, and a large number of archial materials are still in Russia and its neighboring countries.
Even though the German and Russian institutions developed general research efforts among those contesting elections [in Ukraine]Everything is on hold and interrupted – and we don’t know when we can start these contacts again, “Parajinger says.
Reconstruction museum island
In divided Germany, the museum island landed in Eastern Berlin under the control of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Parsinger explains that the Communist state “did not have resources for reconstruction only after 1945. The buildings were repaired, but were not completely rebuilt,” Parzinger explains.
The new museum, which was participating, was left untouched, as a symbolic ruin of war. The Parzinger clearly recalls his own visit to Eastern Berlin as a student, in 1984 – in 2008, in 2008, the chairman of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, who is a government body that oversees the state museums of Berlin, including part of the museum island. His student’s visit is when he first saw the bomb-out shell of the new museum: “I remember there were huge trees growing from the ladder. There was no roof, and you could see the crowns of trees above the building. It was incredible for me.”
When the Berlin Wall came down, it was necessary to completely renew the buildings and fit them for the future, describing Parajinger.
Known as a master plan, the multi-step restoration of the five museums underlines the UNESCO world heritage dress.
For external approach to residualization
Certainly the most important restoration project was the revival of the new museum. The design of the British architect David Chipperfield was found with strong resistance. They integrated the ruins in a new construction, leaving the bullet holes and frescoes of the missing roof and worked with the scar of the war; The puritarians protested, called for a restoration that would have a bee loyal to the original nelative building.
But pushing with this “spectacular concept” was the only correct decision, Parajinger said enthusiastically, saying that he still discovers new details when he returns to the building every time he returns to the building. The renovated museum won several national and international architecture awards.
The Egyptian Museum and Papirus Collection are the most famous exhibition of Housing, The New Museum of Queen Nafartity. Last year, a petition was initiated, in which 3,370 -year -old Bust returned to Egypt. But for the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, there is nothing to discuss about its return: “Nephetti came as part of a complete legal, well -written search,” maintains the parsinger.
Nevertheless, Parsinger Restoration has been an important person in the debate, especially about the return of other items with Benin bronze and colonial history. At the top of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, 17 years later, he is now retiring and a lot of clues are being done by Marian Ekmanman. She becomes the new president of the Foundation on 1 June, the way the celebrations begin for the 200th anniversary of the museum island.
“The 200th anniversary of the museum island is a great opportunity for us to become even more attractive,” tells the Ekmanman DW.
As it takes, the restoration of buildings will continue, as the museum is a definition by the island of island master plan.
A recent notable milestone was inaugurated in 2019 in the completion of the scheme. As a new addition to the museum island, it acts as the main entrance, which provides orientals to visitors.
Paragaman is currently closed until 2027 as it passes through its makeover. The old museum wants to be further.
When all the restorations are completed, four of the five historical buildings will be associated with a disabled-accessible underground ramp, known as the archaeological prize, inspired by historical bridges between the museum destroyed during the world.
All additions and restorations contributed to furthering the position of the anchor museum island, as the Louvre in Paris or the British Museum in London, the blockbuster of Germany. By giving a new lease of life in the museum complex on the Hod River, the museum island is ready to reflect the history of Berlin for centuries.
Edited by: Branda Has
