The best known and most impressive of the five museums is undoubtedly the Pergamon Museum. It is primarily known for the examples of ancient architecture such as the Pergamon Altar, the Ishtar Gate from Babylon, the Market Gate of Miletus and the Mshatta Facade. The enthusiasm for these highlights in the previous reviews is absolutely justified. But there is much more to see. I was very impressed by the collection of Islamic art (e.g. the Aleppo Room, photo). Even if you only take a look at the highlights of the museum, you can easily spend half a day there.

In October 2009, the reconstruction of the Neues Museum (by David Chipperfield) was completed and now, for the first time since WWII, all five museums are open for the public. Neues Museum shows the famous Nefertiti bust, but I was even more enthusiastic with the renovated museum. The building was severely damaged during the WWII and Chipperfield rebuilt it in its original shape. The original remains were preserved and irretrievably lost parts were replaced by modern elements. So the devastation of the war remains visible. If you have more time, you should also visit the Bode Museum, at least the cupola hall is well worth seeing.

Between Bode and Pergamom Museum, the Museum Island is crossed by a railway viaduct. Many visitors wonder about that. If one would plan such a railway track today, they would surely get in trouble with the Unesco. But the track was already built in 1875 and is part of the WHS, it is explicitely mentioned in the nomination file. From the cupola of the nearby cathedral you have a nice overview on the whole museum complex.

Although the renovation has begun already in the 1990s, the work is far from being finished and the concept is still under discussion. In particular, the construction of a new visitor centre (by David Chipperfield) in front of the Neues Museum is controversial. The visitor centre should be finished in 2015. Then all museums will be connected by an underground passage and the courtyards will also be accessible. The restoration of the Pergamon Museum will take even longer (expected by 2026). But the museum will remain open during the renovation. Also planned, but still controversially discussed, is the construction of a fourth wing, which was already included in the original plans.

The Museum Island is one of my favorite places in Berlin, because of both the collections and the buildings. I've been there a few times, but I've still seen only a part of the collections. I'm looking forward to see how the Museum Island will look like when all the renovations and new constructions are completed.