The Wilhelm von Bode Museum, located in the cultural center of Berlin - in the northwestern part of the Museum Island, is very popular and has a lasting impression on the public. Bode (Museum) is in a wonderful creation of architecture. It is a complex consisting of the Museum of Byzantine Art, the Sculpture Assembly and the Coin Office.
History of creation
The Bode (museum) was created at the request of Frederick III - he wanted to show the world the collected and owned collections of exhibits. Wilhelm von Bode, a well-known art critic, began work on the creation of the Berlin Louvre. The Bode Museum already in 1904 met its visitors. It should be noted that its construction took only seven years.
Each hall with exhibits was the personification of a certain era. The architect of the museum building was Ernst von Innet. This delightful creation of architecture is a symmetrical building, bewitching with its scale, in the center of which there is a spherical dome and two bridges that connect art and everyday life.
War against art
It is worth saying that the Bode (museum) was significantly damaged after the end of World War II. The Berlin Louvre opened its doors to visitors only in 1950, and restoration work lasted until 1987. The museum continued to exist, but it was obvious that it needed to be closed for major repairs. The full recovery of Bode lasted a long nine years - from 1997 to 2006. Only in 2006 the museum was completely restored, and nothing reminded me of the damage.
The "Berlin Louvre" finally appeared in an updated form and still continues to impress visitors. For guests, 4 out of 5 courtyards are now open, in which sculptural exhibits are located.
It should be noted that after the repair carried out in the museum, the security system was updated. Restoration workshops also received new equipment. Not without the establishment of an air conditioning system. A great achievement was the fact that the Bode (museum) is now open for people with disabilities.
Complete overhaul of the building cost the federal budget 152 million euros.
Exhibition of Lost Exhibits
After the war, many exhibits disappeared. In this regard, the exhibition "The Vanished Museum" was recently held. The name was not chosen by chance. Indeed, during the war so many works of art disappeared that they can fill at least one more museum. The exhibition presented photographs and plaster forms of lost masterpieces, which makes each visitor think about the tragedy of the whole situation.
Bode Museum now
Today there are 66 exhibition halls that conquer the human mind and impress the imagination.
The Bode Museum in Berlin has several buildings. First, visitors open a huge hall and beautiful stairs leading directly into the sky under a large dome located in the center. One gets the feeling that all the air is filled with magic and bewitching magic. Here you begin to feel part of the story. Continuing to look around, you find yourself in the Kameka Hall and the basilica. They feature stunning collections of statues. The number of exhibits on display is impressive - there are more than 1, 700 of them. But this is not all the secrets that the Bode Museum in Berlin keeps within its walls. Next, the Small Dome Hall with sculptures of Frederick the Great and his generals opens to attention.
In addition to these halls, the museum houses the Coin Office, which occupies 4 departments. Here is the largest numismatic collection in Germany. The coin office has collected more than 500 thousand original exhibits, which are in excellent condition. In addition, there are more than 300 thousand plaster casts of other objects. Most of the hall is made up of antique coins. Here is a huge collection of medals.
The Bode Museum hosts touring coin shows. One of them was called "Money in Latvia: history and modernity". For Latvia, this is not only the most extensive numismatic exhibition, but also evidence that the history of the development of the money of this state is an integral part of the history of currencies of the whole world.
Sculpture collection
The sculptural collection is one of the most famous and largest collections. Unfortunately, after the Second World War, all the exhibits were divided between East and West Berlin. It should be noted that the sculptural collection includes works of art from the Middle Ages to the end of the 18th century.
Around one exhibit a serious debate broke out, which dragged on for many years. We are talking about the sculpture "Bust of Flora", the origin of which is not yet known. For many decades, it was believed that the masterpiece belongs to Leonardo da Vinci himself, because only he could repeat the attractive smile of Mona Lisa, which now adorned the beautiful Flora. That is what Bode thought when he saw a bust from a London collector. Having spent a large amount of money, William bought the “Bust of Flora”.
The British decided to conduct their investigation, since they doubted that this masterpiece could be the work of da Vinci. The dispute about the origin of Flora was partially resolved only in the 80s of the last century, when the possibilities of technical equipment made it possible to determine that Flora is much younger than Bode assumed.
But admiration is caused not only by the works of art that the Bode Museum (Museum Island) presents within its walls, but also by its interior decoration.
What else is interesting?
The museum often hosts various exhibitions. So, the priceless collection of politician Fritz Tome was exhibited for the first time in 100 years. The collector preferred the Middle Ages as a favorite period in the development of culture. He bought works of art at auctions and from owners, replenishing his collection. The entire collection was preserved during the Great Patriotic War and transferred to the heirs of Fritz Tome in integrity and safety.
And now, in the halls of the Bode Museum, priceless paintings of the Middle Ages are presented that are worthy of admiration.
