The Museum Barberini is one of the best art museums in the wider Berlin region, housed in a purpose-built reconstruction of the 18th-century Palais Barberini on the Old Market Square. The building was destroyed in World War II and stood as a ruin through the East German era; its rebuilding and conversion into a museum was funded by Hasso Plattner, co-founder of SAP, who donated both the building and his art collection.
The permanent collection focuses on Impressionism, with particular strength in Claude Monet — the museum holds a significant group of water lily paintings alongside works by Pissarro, Renoir, and their contemporaries. Temporary exhibitions are ambitious and well-attended, covering both Impressionism and other periods. The museum is on the Old Market Square next to the St. Nicholas Church, a short walk from the main station. Timed tickets are advisable in summer.