Alte Nationalgalerie
Visit the Alte Nationalgalerie with skip-the-line access and immerse yourself in 19th-century masterpieces by Monet, Renoir, and German Romantic painters, located on Berlin’s historic Museum Island.
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Bypass the crowds and get direct entry into Berlin’s Alte Nationalgalerie, home to a permanent exhibition of Europe’s finest art pieces from the 19th-century.
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With skip-the-line access, dive straight into works from Classicism, Romanticism, and early Modernity, exploring Menzel’s paintings, Friedrich’s landscapes, and Rodin’s sculptures at your pace.
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An audio guide is included in the ticket, giving you insights into masterpieces like The Balcony Room, The Iron Rolling Mill, and Princess Group.
More details
-
Bypass the crowds and get direct entry into Berlin’s Alte Nationalgalerie, home to a permanent exhibition of Europe’s finest art pieces from the 19th-century.
-
With skip-the-line access, dive straight into works from Classicism, Romanticism, and early Modernity, exploring Menzel’s paintings, Friedrich’s landscapes, and Rodin’s sculptures at your pace.
-
An audio guide is included in the ticket, giving you insights into masterpieces like The Balcony Room, The Iron Rolling Mill, and Princess Group.
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About Altes Museum
Designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel and opened in 1830, the Altes Museum was Prussia’s first public museum, setting a precedent for making art and history accessible to all. Its halls are filled with marble statesmen, bronze athletes, and painted pottery, each revealing the ancient world's myths, politics, and daily life. From grand statues that once stood in temples to gold jewelry worn by Etruscan nobility, the museum offers a glimpse into the artistry and ambition of civilizations long gone.
Opened in 1830, the Altes Museum was designed solely for fine art and antiquities, while natural history and ethnographic artifacts were placed elsewhere. This separation reflected Enlightenment-era ideals, which sought to separate ‘high culture’ from the study of nature and anthropology.
Before opening to the public, the Altes Museum housed the Prussian royal collection, featuring Greek and Roman antiquities acquired through diplomacy, purchases, and military campaigns. Some artifacts were taken from Napoleon’s seized collections after Prussia’s wars against France.
The grand rotunda, inspired by Rome’s Pantheon, was designed as more than just an architectural feature. Its circular form symbolized the universality of knowledge, marking antiquity as the foundation of European thought and intellectual enlightenment.
Unlike many early European museums, the Altes Museum was one of the first built for public education. Commissioned by King Friedrich Wilhelm III, it aimed to make ancient art accessible to ordinary citizens, a radical idea at the time.
During World War II, parts of the Altes Museum’s collection were hidden in bunkers and salt mines to protect them from bombings. Decades later, some artifacts resurfaced in private collections and auctions, leading to international recovery efforts.
Why visit Altes Museum?
Plan your visit
Main entrance
The Altes Museum faces the Lustgarten, directly across from Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom). Its main entrance, marked by a grand colonnade and prominent inscriptions, is easy to spot. Look for the Pantheon-inspired rotunda and the bronze equestrian statue of Frederick William IV nearby. Inside, the entrance leads straight into the impressive central rotunda, setting the tone for your exploration of ancient art.
- On International Women’s Day (March 8), Easter (April 18 to 21), Labor Day (May 1), Ascension Day (May 29), Pentecost (June 9), German Unification Day (October 3), Christmas Day (December 25), Boxing Day (December 26), the museum is open from 10am to 6pm.
- On the first day of the New Year, the museum is open from noon to 6pm.
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