Bode Museum
on the Spree River
Spree Island museums in red Spree River in navy, Wiki
Berlin’s best Mega-Museum emerged when a group of buildings
finally came together on Spree Island in the Spree River. The 5
individual museums were built over time, starting under the Prussian
rulers: Old Museum 1830, New Museum 1855, Old National Museum 1861,
Bode Museum 1904 and Pergamon 1930. Perhaps read a
short history
of Museum Island. And note that the museums comprising the Museum Island
were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. Today the
complex is among the most-visited cultural institutions in the nation.
Pergamon Museum alone attracts 1 million visitors a year.
Yet security issues at the museums have apparently been an ongoing concern. In 2017, a massive Canadian gold leaf coin valued at $4.4 million was stolen from the Bode Museum. The ladder was found inside the museum under a window that sat high above railway tracks running below. Everything else in the museum seemed untouched so, with 500,000+ pieces in the Bode's Coins and Medals collection, the authorities assumed the Big Maple Leaf was a very specific target. Did the Bode analyse the adequacy of the museum's security system? The suspects, including a security guard, were later convicted.
In 2020 vandalism continued on the island museums, without an explanation or a suspect. German authorities released details confirming local media reports that 70+ artefacts on 3 of the island museums (Pergamon, Altes Nationalgalerie and Neues) were sprayed with an oily substance. Among the objects vandalised were C19th paintings, ancient Egyptian sarcophagi and stone sculptures, leaving visible stains everywhere. The crime was one of the most extensive attacks on works of art and antiquities in post-war Germany.
The State Criminal Police Office remained silent so investigators could privately inform the lenders of the vandalised works and to determine the extent of the damage to property. The number and size of museums involved further complicated the investigation.
German media reported that the vandalism was on 3rd Oct, a national holiday marking East and West Germany’s 1990 reunification. The crime on that particular date fuelled speculation over the act’s political motivation. October was also when the cultural centre lifted its long Covid lockdown. Germany’s Minister of State for Culture said that the crime was directed against artistic forms of expression, against the nation’s cultural heritage and against civil forms of debate, but how helpful was her response? And were security improvements planned?
Altes Nationalgalerie
Neues Museum
Pergamon Museum
That same month as the oil attack, the vandals struck again. A 70 ton bowl was carved out of single slab of granite and placed in the Altes Museum’s pleasure garden in 1828 for King Friedrich Wilhelm III. It was smeared in a variety of paint colours, with obscene phrases, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation announced.
After October’s incidents, the Berlin State Museums knew they had to re-evaluate their security measures. It had to be clarified how this much damage could have gone unnoticed, and how such attacks were to be prevented in the future.
Also in Oct 2022, fake blood was hurled at a Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec work in the Altes Nationalgalerie, in an incident like some recent climate protests. The glass covered work, titled Clown, was not significantly damaged. However the head of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation noted the fabric-covered wall of the room was ruined around the art. He added that the museum staff would continue to do whatever they could to protect the art in the collections while keeping them accessible. Even as officials took the suspect into police custody, they were still not certain of his motivation. Thankfully charges for trespassing and property damage were filed in Berlin.
Now, in 2023, parts of the early C20th buildings are in poor structural condition, unfit for visitors and exhibitions. The restoration efforts will focus on structural damage caused by factors including moisture and outdated technical systems. In the
Master Plan, the ensemble of five historical buildings is viewed as a unit, in terms of content. At the same time, it pays respect to the architectural autonomy of each of the buildings. Their character will be preserved by means of renovation measures that follow the official regulations for historical building conservation. Their historical entrances will be restored.
Construction complications have delayed the ongoing
renovations for years : $526 million now compared with the initial estimate of $288 mill in 2016. The trouble is that the entire museum complex will have to be completely closed for c4 years due to extensive renovation work. Pergamon, for example, will completely close for the long-term renovation project starting this year. Renovations are already underway in the northern and central part of the museum, however its southern wing will not reopen for a very long time.
70 ton granite bowl
made in 1828 for King Friedrich Wilhelm III
in Altes Museum’s pleasure garden
ancient Egyptian sarcophagi
cut up and oiled in 2020
