Berlin is a city rich in history, culture, and art. With countless museums and galleries scattered throughout, it’s easy to find a genre that appeals to every taste. However, enthusiasts for the classics will find themselves most at home at the Gemäldegalerie.
The museum hosts a wonderous collection, with over 1500 masterpieces from the 13th to 18th century. Works from Giotto, Botticelli, Raphael, Caravaggio, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Eyck, and many more masters of European painting are there to be observed in a beautiful sequence of well organized galleries. Sven and I spent a peaceful Saturday afternoon at the Gemäldegalerie, drifting from room to room while soaking in the impressive mastery and diversity of this historic collection.
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The History of The Gemäldegalerie
While each painting in the collecting has an interesting story, the Gemäldegalerie collection itself also has an intriguing past. Berlin’s Museumsinsel was the original home of the Gemäldegalerie. In 1830, the collection was installed in the Royal Museum Building (now today’s Altes Museum). In 1904, the large collection relocated to the Bode-Museum, where it remained for the first half of the century. During the Second World War, the Bode building was heavily bombed and over 400 large-scale works were destroyed. As hardship and division befell Berlin during the second half of the century, the Gemäldegalerie collection was also divided. Half of the paintings remained at the Bode-Museum in East Berlin, while the other half was moved west to Berlin-Dahlem. In 1998, the collection was reunited at Berlin’s Kulturforum, where it is currently exhibited.
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Visiting The Gemäldegalerie
The Gemäldegalerie is located along the southern edge of Tiergarten, a short distance from Potsdamer Platz. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, with hours varying depending on the day. You can find their opening times listed here. Tickets can be purchased online or at the museum’s reception desk, and it’s possible to pay with both cash and credit card. Admission costs vary depending on the exhibitions you wish to visit (admissions for the permanent painting exhibition is 10 euro). Audio guides are included with admissions and available in several languages. Lockers and coat-check are available for guests on the lowest floor.
Matthäikirchplatz, 10785 Berlin
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If you’re interested in reading a bit more about the Gemäldegalerie and its historic collection, check out the link below.
About the Gemäldegalerie Collection
