Sometimes, I experience a moment that reminds me of just how
lucky I am. Most of us have moments like
that throughout our lifetimes, but it’s nice to take a step back and
acknowledge when one of those moments is happening. I am lucky, at this moment in my life, to see
things that many only get to glance at when turning the pages in art or history
books. During our trip to
Berlin, I found myself realizing that I was experiencing several of those “lucky”
moments. More than one occurred while
visiting Museumsinsel Berlin.
Museumsinsel Berlin, or the Museum
Island Berlin, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The complex consists of five museums with architecture so notable that
it is worth visiting Museumsinsel Berlin just to see the buildings. Stepping out of the subway station, I found
myself immediately surrounded by high, domed buildings with ornately carved
walls. The entire day could have been
spent sitting on a park bench studying every arch and bend of each
building. However, it's worth it to go inside at least a few of the museums to see all the beautiful works
of art and artifacts that they house. Each
of the museums specializes in a specific topic.
The first of the five museums, Schinkel’s Altes Museum, was built in
1830 after King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia declared that the public should
be able to tour and appreciate great works of art. Thus, the building of Museumsinsel Berlin
began, and eventually Museum Island grew to include the Altes Museum, the Neues
Museum, the Alte Nationalgalerie, the Bode-Museum, and the Pergamonmuseum. During our visit, we went to see the Pergamonmuseum
and the Neues Museum.
The Pergamonmuseum was the last of
the five museums on Museumsinsel to be built.
The museum boasts three main collections that feature classical
antiquities, information and artifacts from the ancient near east, and Islamic
art. Upon entering the museum, visitors are
greeted by the bright blue tiles of Ishtar Gate. German excavators found fragments of the gate’s
glazed bricks and were able to confirm that the bricks belonged to the Ishtar
Gate of Nebuchadnezzar II (604-462 BC).
Over 500 crates of bricks were brought back to Berlin in the early 20th
century. The pieces were carefully put
back together like a puzzle with missing sections filled in with modern
tiles. Now, visitors can see the
brilliant blue of the gate and the matching Processional Way. The experience of seeing the gate is enhanced
by the reconstructed Processional Way that would have passed through its arch. The same lapis-blue tiles seen on the gate
are used on the Processional Way, and images of lions, bulls, dragons, and
flowers in golden hues stand out against the sea of blue. Visitors get to see the same structures
erected in celebration of the Babylonian goddess Ishtar that her follows
did. I consider myself pretty lucky to
have gotten to see something like that.
Another prized artifact found at
the Pergamonmuseum is the Roman Market Gate of Miletus, which dates to around
100 AD. The gate was found during excavations of
Miletus in 1903-1905. The pile of rubble
was painstakingly reconstructed, and missing sections were filled in using
modern building techniques so that one has to look carefully to see where
original sections end and replaced ones begin.
It is easy to imagine busy merchants and shoppers passing through the
gate, and it’s easy to take a moment to remind oneself of how amazing it is to
see something so beautiful. While the
gates and Processional Way are certainly the main attractions of the museum,
the other galleries offer a plethora of artifacts to explore and marvel at.
After touring the Pergamonmuseum and taking a break for lunch, we
headed over to the Neues Museum. The
Neues Museum, built between 1843 and 1855, is home to the Egyptian Museum and
Papyrus Collection and the Museum of Prehistory and Early History. The thing I wanted to see the most in the
Neues Museum was the bust of Queen Nefertiti.
The bust dates to about 1340 BCE, which is part of the Amarna
Period. During this time, Nefertiti
formed a divine triad with her husband Akhenaten and Aten, a deity the king identified
as the universal god. Unfortunately, visitors
cannot photograph the bust, so you’ll just have to take my word for it that it
is simply beautiful. Queen Nefertiti’s
bust is one of those things that most people only get to glance at in a book or
on a postcard, so seeing the bust provided yet another moment to realize just
how lucky I am to be able to travel to Berlin and see such amazing things.
In addition to visiting Queen Nefertiti and
the stunning examples of Egyptian statuary and building facades, we saw the Golden Hat.
The Golden Hat, also known as the Berlin Gold Hat, is considered a
masterful example of Bronze Age goldsmithing.
Its origins are uncertain, but the fact that the three other golden hats
known to exist can be traced to southern Germany and France indicate that it is
probably from that region as well. The
hat is engraved with a dating system that explains the nineteen year cycle of
the sun and moon. One doesn’t need to
fully understand the hat’s original purpose or meaning to appreciate its beauty.
I have
to say that I am one lucky lady. I get
to live in Germany for a few years and experience some amazing moments. I hope that when I am in the middle of each
of those moments, I can take a second to remember just how lucky I am. There is little doubt that the treasures
tucked safely within the walls of the museums on Museumsinsel Berlin will make
you feel the same way.
Miletus Market Gate
Mosaic floor from the dining room of a Roman house, 200 AD
Gate Lion from Turkey (10th8th century BC)
Processional Way
"Pharaoh is human, not divine, but as one who intercedes and brings sacrifice he is nearer to God than all mortals. Through his proximity to God he guarantees harmony between heaven and earth. Statues of kings and queens are visible tokens of universal order."
Head of a Statuette of Queen Tiy
Double Statue of Nefer-Hor and His Wife
Colossal Statue of Helios
Golden Hat
