2023-07-02 15:03:47
Those who have never visited the Pergamon Museum are more than strongly urged to visit before the fall. This jewel of Berlin’s Museum Island, whose prestigious collection is devoted to Antiquity, Islamic art and Oriental art, will close its doors on October 23, before a complete reopening in… ten years!
It will therefore be necessary to arm yourself with patience to once again admire the magnificent Ishtar gate of Babylon, the street of the processions or the gate of the Millet market, major works of the most prestigious museum of this Berlin complex. Good news, however, if all goes well, the north wing, under construction for ten years already and closed to the public, could reopen in 2027. It includes the famous temple of Zeus in Pergamum.
“It’s obviously a bitter pill to swallow, but these fundamental renovations are essential”, recognizes Barbara Helwing, director of the Near East Museum, which encompasses a collection of 2,000 objects from excavations carried out in the 19th century at five sites now located in Iraq, Turkey and Syria.
Historical and geographical weaknesses
This huge neoclassical-style building isn’t that old – it opened to the public in 1936. But it has suffered from Berlin’s troubled history. Very damaged during the Second World War, it retains traces of bullet holes on its walls, attacked by humidity and today covered with nets to prevent rockfall. For lack of money, the communist regime of the GDR had not been able to carry out major renovation work.
Added to this is a fundamental problem: “This museum is built on land that is not suitable,” as Barbara Helwing explains. “The region was shaped during the Ice Age, which explains the presence of many lakes. Also under the museum is a ravine some 30 meters deep over which a bridge has been built to support the museum. This bridge urgently needs to be renovated,” she comments.
Other elements that explain the duration of the renovation works, the construction of a fourth wing, an energy renovation – with the installation of solar panels – and the construction of a system of tunnels, called “archaeological promenade”, which will allow connect, underground, the various museums of this island.
“The number of visitors is expected to increase. This system aims to make their circulation more fluid with multiple entrances,” notes Barbara Helwing. In total, this work should cost 700 million euros, to which is added an equivalent sum for the work undertaken on the north wing for ten years.
A museum island listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
“This work is very complex because the island of museums is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, adds Barbara Helwing. Everything must be checked by the heritage conservation services. In particular, vibrations must be avoided so as not to damage the works that will remain in place. »
This applies to the famous Ishtar Gate and the Processional Street which cannot be moved and which will be provided with protective glass. As for the other works, they will take advantage of the next ten years to get a makeover. But before that, they will have to be removed from the premises. This delicate operation alone will take a year.
For visitors, these works are a blow, even if the management announces extended opening hours before closing and collaborations with other places in the coming years. Some works will thus play the role of ambassadors in other museums in the capital and in the country. As for the James Simon gallery, the youngest on the island of museums, it will remain open and will host temporary exhibitions and conferences.
“We will remain visible but the supply for the next three years will be limited”, recognizes Barbara Helwing, who also promises a new concept for the presentation of works, in order to respond to the public’s changing view of the collections.
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The museum and the issue of restitution
The restitution of the temple of Pergamon, discovered in 1864 by the archaeologist Carl Humann, and jewel of the museum of the same name, is claimed by certain Turkish ministers. For Berlin, there is no question of it because an official contract for sharing archaeological discoveries has been signed with the Ottoman Empire.
Research on the origin of works has accelerated for fifteen years in Berlin museum institutions, boosted by controversies surrounding the new museum of ethnology, the Humboldt Forum. Initially focused on works stolen from Jews, research has since extended to the German colonial period and to all of the collections. In 2022, for example, Berlin announced that it had “discovered” 250 works obtained in a manner “illegal”in its collections of antiquities.
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