Pergamonmuseum

The Pergamonmuseum (currently closed), on Berlin’s Museum Island, is a vast three-wing complex best known for its massive reconstructions of famed archaeological structures. These include its namesake, the Pergamon Altar — a triumph of dramatic Hellenistic sculpture — as well as the imposing Market Gate of Miletus, the vibrant Ishtar Gate of Babylon, and the “Aleppo Room” from Persia, with its ornate wooden wall paneling. The museum was originally built from 1910 to 1930 to house objects being excavated under German supervision in Babylon, Uruk and Assur (in modern-day Iraq), Miletus and Priene (in modern-day Turkey), and Egypt. Today, the museum is closed for extensive renovation projects, with the north and central wings due to reopen in 2027, while the south and new fourth wing are not expected until 2037. Additions to the north wing, which will house the Museum of Islamic Art, include an exhibition space that has been expanded by two thirds. Since 2018, 80 works from the Pergamon have been on view in a nearby building as part of the exhibition “Pergamonmuseum. Das Panorama.”