Neues Museum

So after the Pergamonmuseum I popped next door to the Neues Museum. This is the museum for European prehistory, and Egyptian artefacts. It's quite a curious edifice. Originally another fine neo-classical building, it was of course reduced to rubble in the War, like pretty much everything in Berlin. Externally it has been restored as was.

Internally, where they have something original surviving its there, but where things are missing (and that's a lot) they have created something modern. So its a little bit of a hotchpotch, but not without charm - and decent exhibition space.

An impressive chunk of prehistoric goldwork

 The central isle is a good example of the marriage of old and new - rather damaged wall paintings surrounding a brand new core, enabling one to look down on a collection of Egyptian tombs.

 

  

  Now, what do you think this exhibit above is? I think one would leap to the conclusion that it is fragments of old stained glass with minerals below used to produce them. But no, what looks like minerals are actually 20th century war damage. They aren't lumps of natural minerals, but glass beads found in jewellers cellar, fused into lumps by the firestorm that enveloped the city.

Beastly business. Makes one sorry for the Germans. An awful horrid episode.

And then as I wander around its really very warm in the museum so I innocently take off my jacket. I am immediately seized upon by an attendant. You can't carry a jacket. It has to be worn. As time goes on I see others similarly attacked, for one poor woman it was only a flimsy cardigan that was the offending garment. So there you are. The jacket nazis. And you realoise why they needed to be utterly crushed in the most fearful way. (Yes the jackets and because of the holocaust too.) Sorry, but evidently it had to be done.



Skull of a German Neanderthal with a reconstruction.

 This is the top of the staircase. Interesting use of emptiness to good effect.

A collection of bronze axe-heads

 Any guesses? Its a ceremonial horn. Big one.

 This is one of the museum's star exhibits (actually its absolute star exhibit is the head of Nefertiti but its the one thing they don't want people to photograph). Its a prehistoric gold hat made out of very thin (and so very fragile) gold sheet. Not a very practical hat, but it did apparently have a practical function. An astronomical one - the various patterns helped determine lunar months.

And here is another star exhibit - a rare surviving bronze (as opposed to marble) statue.