Always Active
“You are at the centre of Berlin’s cultural landscape.” Thirty years ago, this sentence would have been true. From Indian miniature painting to traditional boat-making from Oceania, right through to Botticelli and Dürer: up until the 1990s, the Dahlem museum precinct was home to a unique ensemble of museums and collections. With the departure of the Kupferstichkabinett (1993), the Sculpture Department and the Gemäldegalerie (1997), along with the Museum für Islamische Kunst (1998) and the exhibitions of the Ethnologisches Museum and the Museum für Asiatische Kunst (2017), the precinct gradually lost its prominence in the public consciousness. But Dahlem is still active: in 1999, the Museum Europäischer Kulturen (previously the Museum for (German) Folklore) opened its doors. Since 2005, this institution has been presenting the everyday culture of European communities from this location. And a glance in the visitors’ book reveals that plenty of people value the Museum precisely for its leafy location on the outskirts of the city.
In 1999, the Museums of German Folklore in East and West merge with the European Collection of the Museum of Ethnology. The Museum Europäischer Kulturne is created.
What memories do you have of the “old” Dahlem museum complex? Drop us a line or show us your photos!
Participate now!With the Museum für Indische Kunst and the Museum für Islamische Kunst, the Dahlem museum complex housed two of the world’s most important collections.