The Kulturforum at a glance
The Kulturforum was conceived from the 1950s as the cultural hub of West Berlin: after the division of the city, the collections of Museum Island lay in the East, and West Berlin wanted a new centre. The site, on the edge of the Tiergarten, bordered the frontier, in an area destroyed by bombing. Hans Scharoun designed the Philharmonie there, opened in 1963, and the neighbouring buildings followed, each with its own architect. Since reunification, the Kulturforum is once again in the centre of the city, a few minutes from Potsdamer Platz.
The complex brings together several of the Berlin State Museums, as well as the Philharmonie, the chamber music hall, Scharoun's Staatsbibliothek (the state library, opened in 1978) and St. Matthew's Church (St.-Matthäus-Kirche), a 19th-century building that hosts contemporary art exhibitions.
The museums of the Kulturforum
The Gemäldegalerie, old master paintings
The Gemäldegalerie is the museum of European painting from the 13th to the 18th century: two Vermeers, a group of Rembrandts, Caravaggio, Bruegel, Van Eyck, Dürer, Holbein. The rooms are on one level, around a large central hall, which makes the visit easy. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, it costs €14 (reduced €7).
The Neue Nationalgalerie, the glass temple
The Neue Nationalgalerie is the modern art museum: Mies van der Rohe's glass hall (1968), restored by David Chipperfield and reopened in 2021, hosts major exhibitions, and the post-war collection is on the lower level. It opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, until 20:00 on Thursday, for €20 (reduced €10).
The Kunstgewerbemuseum, treasures, fashion and design
The Museum of Decorative Arts (Kunstgewerbemuseum) presents goldsmiths' work, medieval objects, fashion and design. It is the only one in the complex to close on Monday and Tuesday. A ticket costs €10 (reduced €5), and the Guelph Treasure is not on display for the moment.
The other collections
The Kupferstichkabinett (drawings and prints), the Kunstbibliothek and the Musikinstrumenten-Museum (musical instruments museum) complete the complex and are included in the Kulturforum ticket. These are more specialised visits, best kept for a second trip.
The Philharmonie and the architecture
The Berlin Philharmonie, home of the Berliner Philharmoniker, is the most recognisable building: a golden tent-like silhouette, with the orchestra at the centre of the hall and the audience all around. The free lunchtime concerts on Wednesday (13:00, from September to June) are a good way to see it without a concert ticket. Scharoun's three buildings, the Philharmonie, the chamber music hall and the library, form an ensemble recognisable by its free forms, the opposite of the rigorous façade of Mies van der Rohe's Neue Nationalgalerie.
A place of remembrance next door
Ten minutes on foot away, on Stauffenbergstraße, the German Resistance Memorial Center occupies the former army headquarters where the 20 July 1944 plot failed. Admission is free: it fits well between two museums. For the rest of this story, see also Berlin and the Second World War.
Which ticket to buy?
The Kulturforum ticket (€22, reduced €11) is valid for one day in all the state museums of the Kulturforum. It pays off as soon as you visit two big museums, for example the Gemäldegalerie and the Neue Nationalgalerie (€14 and €20 separately). The Museumspass Berlin also covers all these museums. Under-18s enter free. On the first Thursday of the month, from 16:00 to 20:00, entry to the Neue Nationalgalerie is free.
| Place | Hours | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Gemäldegalerie | Tuesday-Sunday 10:00-18:00 | €14, reduced €7 |
| Neue Nationalgalerie | Tuesday-Sunday 10:00-18:00, Thursday until 20:00 | €20, reduced €10 |
| Kunstgewerbemuseum | Wednesday-Friday 10:00-17:00, weekend 11:00-18:00 | €10, reduced €5 |
| German Resistance Memorial Center | Monday-Friday 9:00-18:00, weekend 10:00-18:00 | Free |
| Kulturforum ticket | Valid for one day | €22, reduced €11 |
How much time to allow?
Half a day lets you see two museums. For a full day, count for example the Gemäldegalerie in the morning, a break, then the Neue Nationalgalerie in the afternoon, with the Memorial at the end of the day. As the Kunstgewerbemuseum is closed on Monday and Tuesday, choose a day from Wednesday to Sunday.
Practical information
The Kulturforum is about a 10-minute walk from Potsdamer Platz, served by the U2 and the S-Bahn S1, S2, S25 and S26. Buses M29, M48, M85 and 200 also serve the site. Details of transport tickets are in our guide to transport in Berlin. To stay in the area, see where to stay in Berlin.
Going further
To compare these museums with the others, read our selection of the best museums in Berlin and the list of free museums in Berlin. The Kulturforum combines easily with Berlin in 3 days.
