The undisputed highlight of Museum Island and one of the great museums anywhere in the world. Built between 1912 and 1930 to house objects too large for conventional display cases, the Pergamon contains the reconstructed Pergamon Altar (c. 160 BC), the Market Gate of Miletus, and the jaw-dropping Processional Way and Ishtar Gate from Babylon. Allow at least two hours — longer if you want to do justice to the Islamic Art collection as well.
Pergamon Museum
Ancient world reconstructions including the Ishtar Gate
| Address | Am Kupfergraben, Mitte |
|---|---|
| Opening Hours | Daily 10am-6pm, Thu until 8pm |
| Phone | +49 30 266424242 |
| Website | www.smb.museum/pergamonmuseum |
A story
The Pergamon Altar was excavated by German archaeologist Carl Humann in what is now Turkey between 1878 and 1886. The Ottoman Empire had been using the marble blocks as building material — Humann found decorated friezes mixed into a Byzantine lime kiln. The German excavation rights were agreed in exchange for help building the Istanbul–Izmir railway. Turkey has been requesting the altar's return since the 1990s.