Bode Museum, Berlin — Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Bode Museum sits at the northern tip of Museum Island, where the Spree River splits around it, giving the building the appearance of floating on water. It is one of Berlin's most striking buildings and home to one of the world's finest collections of sculpture and Byzantine art.

The museum was originally opened as the Kaiser Friedrich Museum on October 18, 1904, designed by architect Ernst von Ihne in a grand Baroque Revival style. It was renamed in 1956 after Wilhelm von Bode, the legendary museum director who shaped the collections.

The building was severely damaged during World War II and spent decades under repair. A comprehensive 156-million-euro renovation closed the museum from 1997 to 2006. When it reopened, the restored interiors revealed the grandeur of the original design, with a great domed entrance hall that remains one of the most impressive museum spaces in Berlin.

Inside, you'll find an outstanding collection of Byzantine art, European sculpture from the Middle Ages to the 18th century, and the Numismatic Collection (Munzkabinett), one of the largest coin collections in the world, with approximately 500,000 items spanning from the 7th century BC to the present.

Museum Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Bode Museum is one of five major museums in the complex. If you're on a Questo quest through Berlin, the Bode Museum anchors one end of an island that holds more art per square metre than almost anywhere on earth.