Altes Museum

Altes Museum review

Opened as the Royal Museum in 1830, the Old Museum originally housed all the art treasures on Museumsinsel. It was designed by Schinkel and is considered one of his finest buildings, with a particularly magnificent entrance rotunda, where vast neon letters declare that 'All Art has been Contemporary'. This building currently houses the Ägyptische Museum (Egyptian Museum), whose most celebrated exhibit is the bust of Nefertiti, dating from around 1350 BC. The portrayal of the human face is one of the most compelling aspects of the collection, which includes a series of characterful model faces, and the vivid 'Berlin Green Head'. Another unique treasure is the only known example of Cleopatra's handwriting, and there are mummies and statuary aplenty. The museum's normal exhibit has been pared down to make room for all this, but there are still temporary exhibitions. When the Egyptian stuff moves to the Neues Museum in 2009, a vast exhibit on the Etruscans will take its place.