Pergamonmuseum Berlin Closed for Major Refurbishment Starting 23 October 2023

Berlin’s Pergamonmuseum on the Museumsinsel (Museum Island) closes completely to visitors on 23 October 2023. This step is necessary so that the building’s major refurbishment as part of the “Museumsinsel Master Plan” can continue as intended. The North Wing of the museum and the hall with the Pergamon Altar are expected to reopen in spring 2027. 

The way forward has been cleared for the second construction phase ‒ on the South Wing. It entails the erection of a fourth wing that will be connected to the other buildings on the Museumsinsel. Preparatory measures will begin in autumn 2023, and construction work in 2024. The building sections concerned house the currently still accessible Museum für Islamische Kunst (Museum for Islamic Art), the Vorderasiatisches Museum (Museum of the Ancient Near East) and the Miletus Hall, which belongs to the Antikensammlung (Collection of Classical Antiquities).

Continued Work on the North Wing

Construction Phase A, the first, currently ongoing work, focuses on the building’s North Wing and the middle section, including the Hellenistic Hall and the Pergamon Hall. In the future, the Museum für Islamische Kunst, with its new permanent exhibition, will be on view in the North Wing. The middle section will continue to show large objects from the Antikensammlung. Completion of the construction on the North Wing is still planned for 2025. Reopening is expected in spring 2027.

Second Phase of Construction: South Wing

Now that the second phase of construction has been set in motion, the urgently necessary rehabilitation of the South Wing can also begin. It is in very poor condition, which affects the stability of the building and the safety of the exhibits. In addition to the construction of the fourth wing, upcoming measures include erecting still lacking sections of the museum’s connection to the Bode-Museum and the New Neues Museum, refurbishing the outdoor facilities, and rebuilding the “Pergamonsteg”, the bridge across the Kupfergraben (an arm of the Spree canal).