The Old Museum ( German: Altes Museum ) is an art museum in Berlin on Museum Island . Until 1845 it was called Royal. The museum building was built in 1822-1830 by the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel in the style of late classicism to house the art collection of the family of Prussian kings. After restoration in 1966, the museum houses a collection of antiques .
| Old museum | |
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| Altes museum | |
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| Address | Am Lustgarten 10178 Berlin |
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| Site | smb.museum |
Museum Building
Stoa in Athens was chosen as a model for the construction of the museum building. The Ionian order serves as decoration of the columns of the main facade of the building, the other three facades are made of brick and stone. The building rises above the adjacent territory, located on a pedestal that will give it an impressive appearance. The elevation helped protect the museum from floods that occurred on the island. The channel of the Spree River, washing the Museum Island, was changed by the architect to increase the space during the construction of the museum, the necessary reconstruction of roads, bridges and canals was carried out. Initially, the dome of the building was built in the form of an exact hemisphere, the model for which was the dome of the Roman Pantheon . It was made invisible to an outside observer due to its proximity to Berlin Cathedral (an old building).
Equestrian statues made by Albert Wolff ( Albert Wolff , 1814–1892), a statue of “The Fighter with a Lion” ( Löwenkämpfer ) on the left, and Augustus Kiss ( August Kiß , 1802–1865), are installed on both sides of the stairs leading to the main entrance. The Fighting Amazon ( Kämpfende Amazone ) on the right. In front of the stairs in the center is a granite bowl sculpted by Christian Gottlieb Cantian ( Christian Gottlieb Cantian , 1794-1866).
The inscription on the frieze of the building: FRIDERICVS GVILHELMVS III. STVDIO ANTIQVITATIS OMNIGENAE ET ARTIVM LIBERALIVM MVSEVM CONSTITVIT MDCCCXXVIII .
History
The beginning of the museum's collection was laid by the collection of the Prussian king Frederick William III . In 1830, the museum was open to the public. Over time, the collection was replenished with other valuable works of art; in the 19th and 20th centuries, materials from archaeological expeditions of German scientists were transferred to it.
During World War II, the museum was badly damaged, in 1966 a restoration was carried out, during which the dome of the building was rebuilt in the form of a semi-ellipse, and the museum was reopened for visiting.
The collection presents objects of ancient art of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome .