Bode Museum

Bode Museum review

Built by Berlin architect Ernst Eberhard von Ihne in 1904, the Bode Museum reopened after a thorough renovation in 2006. It was originally intended by Wilhelm von Bode as a home for art from the beginnings of Christendom, and now contains the Byzantine Collection, Sculpture Collection and the Numismatic Collection. The neo-baroque Great Dome, the Basilica hall and the glorious Cupola have been carefully restored to keep up with modern curatorial standards, but they retain their magnificence. Most impressively, despite one of the world's largest sculpture collections and more than half a million pieces in the coin collection, the museum somehow retains a totally uncluttered feel and the sculptures stand free from off-putting glass cases. In particular, make sure you look out for the wall-length Apse Mosaic from 545 AD and the 14th-century Mannheim High Altar. Both are well worth checking out.