Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung

Description

On the Museumsinsel in Berlin, in the reopened Neues Museum, the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin presents extensive holdings of ancient Egyptian culture. Since the building’s reopening in October 2009, the permanent exhibition has once again been located at this historic site.

The collection originated in 1828 as an Egyptian department of the royal art collections on the recommendation of Alexander von Humboldt. Initially the holdings were housed at another location in the city; later, collections brought back by an expedition in the 1840s expanded them. From 1850 the department was given its own rooms on the Museumsinsel. In 1920 the bust of Nofretete entered the collection and became its most significant draw for visitors.

During the Second World War the collection was dispersed: the Neues Museum suffered severe damage in 1943, numerous objects were destroyed by fire, and others were moved to storage. The Nofretete survived the war hidden in a tunnel in Thüringen and later came to Wiesbaden. After 1945 the collection was split; a large part was shown in a museum section in the eastern part of Berlin during the GDR period, while remnants were exhibited in West Berlin. After reunification the holdings were gradually reunited. Prior to a permanent relocation to the Neues Museum, parts of the collection were presented from 2005 in the Altes Museum, although large-scale monuments could not be displayed. Several monumental architectural works, including the Kalabscha-Tor and the Tempelvorhof aus dem Totentempel Sahures, remain outside the permanent exhibition for reasons of space and, according to the Masterplan für die Museumsinsel, are intended for later presentation in a planned fourth wing of the Pergamonmuseums; this project is controversial. The museum’s scholarly work is additionally supported by the Verein zur Förderung des Ägyptischen Museums e. V.

The exhibition extends over three levels and documents around four millennia of ancient Egyptian culture. It displays everyday objects from the Niltal, royal and cult sculptures, conceptions of the afterlife, as well as important papyrus manuscripts. Central objects include the bust of Nofretete, the „Berliner Grüne Kopf“ and the Papyrus Westcar.

Since 2015 the museum has participated in the outreach project „Multaka – Treffpunkt Museum“, which offers tours for Arabic- and Persian-speaking visitors and promotes intercultural exchange on historical and cultural connections. Since the end of 2023 the Ägyptische Museum has been part of this offering.