In Berlin, the Märkisches Museum will be closing for several years because of a major renovation effort. Before it happens, admission will be free for a month. For kids and adolescents, there are lots of free offers all over the place.
Berlin, November 17th, 2022 (The Berlin Spectator) — People who want to visit the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture and seven more museums and galleries will not have to pay anything. Not a single dime. But they do have to be 6,706 kilometers (4,167 miles) west of Berlin, in Washington D.C., where most Smithsonian museums are located.
Expensive Tickets
In Berlin, things are different. On the first Sunday of each month, admission is free at state-sponsored museums. On all other days, tickets have to be purchased. But there are exceptions. Persons up to 18 years of age may enter the same museums free of charge. For individuals who are older, museum visits in Berlin can be quite costly.
A regular ticket for Neues Museum that gets its holder into all exhibitions is 19 Euro (19.64 U.S. Dollars or 16.62 Pounds Sterling). The admission at the other major museums is the same or similar. Others, including the Museum of Photography, charge about half this amount. Tourists may want to look into the Berlin Welcome Card, which might help visitors who intend to visit many museums.
No Reopening Date
On December 31st, 2022, Berlin’s Märkisches Museum, which shows the city’s history, will close for several years. From December 1st to December 30th, 2022, just before they shut it down, everyone may enter free of charge. This recommended establishment designed by Ludwig Hoffman and inaugurated in 1908 has to be renovated and “modernized extensively”, as it says in an official statement. For now, there is no reopening date.
In the past years, some changes were already implemented. Those include a revised permanent exhibition about Berlin’s history and a number of special exhibitions. On top of it all, the Märkisches Museum is showing what visitors can expect from the “city museum of the future”, once it reopens. While this museum is closed, some of its exhibits and treasures are supposed to be shown in other institutions, including the Museum Pankow and the Berlinische Galerie.
Access to Tower
Right after Germany’s reunification, in 1990, the last big renovation commenced. In 2020, the year the Coronavirus hit, the big refurbishment was supposed to commence, but it had to be postponed. The Märkisches Museum (link to the English version of its website) will have additional locations, including the Marinehaus across the street from the main building. After the renovation, the main museum’s tower will be accessible to visitors as well.