Jetlag knocked me out last night and this morning, and the day on the whole has been pretty rough. I did, however, manage to get myself over to Museuminsel by mid-day, and got my 3-day ticket for the museums on the island. My first (and only) stop of the day was the Neues Museum, which is just to the north of (you guessed it) the Altes Museum. And it was truly "new" to me, having just re-opened in 2009 after decades of decay after being ruined during WWII. Literally, it sat there for years on end before an attempt at restoration was made in the 80s, abandoned, and picked up again in 1997 under the direction of architect David Chipperfield.
I'd seen parts of the Egyptian collection before - Nefertiti's bust, the Berlin Green Head - elsewhere, such as a display in the Altes Museum in 2006. What truly impressed me on this trip was the sense of preservation in the 19th century building, and how much of the original damaged structure has been preserved, rather than covered up or made new. In this sense, the museum's damage becomes an integral part of its own history, brilliantly displayed alongside the newer, more secure structure. Fascinating!
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