Bode-Museum
legend Bode-Museum Ende der Bildunterschrift For the design of the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum (renamed Bode Museum in 1956), the emperor Wilhelm II commissioned the head government building officer Ernst von Ihne, one of the best-known exponents of “Wilhelminian Baroque”. In order to achieve the appearance of a building rising from water the architect arranged the three-winged building around several interior courtyards so that the exterior facades immediately bordered the banks of the river Spree. A dominating dome and two opulent staircases lend the building a stately air which is underlined further by the decorative elements such as the monumental pilasters, demi-columns and window surrounds. The former general director of the museums Wilhelm von Bode himself made suggestions concerning the lighting of the rooms and their proportioning. The art works were shown within the context of original ceilings, fire places, door jambs, tapestries and furniture. Bodes presentation concept, aimed at a general effect of authenticity, was influential throughout the world. The museum was opened in 1904. During the Second World War much of the building, especially the dome, suffered great damages. Beginning in the 1950s, step by step the museum was reconstructed and put back into use. In the 1990s, general restoration began with the first parts of reconstruction work; in August 2000 construction works for the basic restoration followed. The Numismatic Collection has been open to visitors at the Bode Museum since 22 October 2004, opened on the occasion of its 100th anniversary. In October 2006, the Bode Museum will re-open in its entirety, displaying the Sculpture Collection, the Numismatic Colletion and works from the Gemäldegalerie - Old Master Paintings.
The Münzkabinett (Numismatic Collection)
is one of the largest collections of its kind with around 500,000 objects. The collection owes its international renown to its rich diversity as well as the comprehensiveness of its coin series which range from the beginnings of coinage in the seventh century BC in Asia Minor to the coins and medals of the twenty-first century. On the occasion of the centenary of the Bode Museum, the Numismatic Collection was ceremoniously re-opened on 22 October 2004, after six years of restoration. Until the Bode Museum re-opens in its entirety in 2006, only the study room of the Numismatic Collection will be accessible to the public. In the meantime, the collection is presented in a permanent display of 2,000 first-class exhibits of ancient coins at the Pergamon Museum. Selected coins are also exhibited at the Altes Museum and the Museum of Pre- and Early History. The most significant holdings within the Numismatic Collection include: 102,000 Greek coins and about 50,000 from ancient Rome; 160,00 European coins from the Middle Ages to modern times and 35,000 Oriental-Islamic coins. There are also 25,000 examples of medals, which began to develop as an art form around 1400 AD. Apart from the coins and medals, the collection also contains paper currency, historical seals dating from the Middle Ages, and examples of different forms of money used by primitive peoples. In addition there are more than 15,000 minting tools, including over 10,000 dies with which coins were struck in Berlin from the 17th century onwards, as well as a large collection of casts. The Numismatic Collection acquired its leading status primarily through the comprehensiveness of the series in its possession, as well as through a significant number of extremely rare items. The motifs on the coins are highly varied and themes tend to reappear throughout the centuries. Images include religious themes from ancient mythology and Christian beliefs, coats of arms, animals, plants, buildings and famous personalities.
Numismatic Collection History
The beginnings of the Münzkabinett (Numismatic Collection) date back to the art collection of the Electors of Brandenburg. In 1649 there were already about 5,000 items, mainly ancient coins. In 1830 the Numismatic Collection moved for the first time into its own rooms at the Altes Museum where it could be viewed by the public. In 1868 the collection was awarded independent status as a museum. By the end of the German Empire in 1918 the number of coins had increased significantly as a result of numerous purchases and the acquisition of large private collections. In 1904 the collection moved to its new home at the Kaiser Friedrich Museum (renamed Bode Museum in 1956) where rooms on the lower floor facing Kupfergraben were specially redesigned to suit the needs of the Numismatic Collection. The collection managed to survive the Second World War in the air-raid shelter belonging to the Pergamon Museum. From there it was taken to the Soviet Union and returned in 1957. As the Numismatic Collection was situated in the east of the city it belonged to the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (National Museums in Berlin) of the German Democratic Republic. With German reunification the collection became part of the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Foundation of Prussian Cultural Heritage). In the 1990s, the initial of reconstruction of the Bode Museum began; in August 2000 basic restoration work followed. The Numismatic Collection re-opened on 22 October 2004 as the first of the Bode Museum’s collections. Until the Bode Museum re-opens in its entirety in 2006, only the study room of the Numismatic Collection will be accessible to the public. In the meantime, the collection is presented in a permanent display of 2,000 first-class exhibits of ancient coins at the Pergamon Museum. Selected coins are also exhibited at the Altes Museum and the Museum of Pre- and Early History.
Address:
Bode Museum
Berlin Mitte, Bodestrasse 1-3
D-10178 Berlin Germany
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Coin Resources
Through the discovery of money, America’s largest museum dedicated to numismatics brings culture to life. The museum explores art, history, science and much more to promote the diverse nature of money and related items.
