Top 10 German Museums
To say that Germany is a museum lover's paradise is to understate the case. For Germany has some of the most astonishing museums in the world, literally hundreds of them, with fabulous collections of art, including some that had been divided for more than half a century in a partitioned Germany and have now been united once again into monumental exhibits. But since we must be selective in an offering so rich, here are the most popular, most famous, top 10 German museums:
[ Pages of interest: Great Castles of Germany and Best Small Towns of Germany ]
The Gemäldegalerie in Berlin is arguably the most prestigious of the German museums. It houses an absolutely stunning collection of works by German, Dutch and Italian masters, including 16 classic pieces by Rembrandt.
The Pergamonmuseum, also in Berlin, is among Germany's most popular museums, with eye-popping, large-scale pieces that include the Pergamon Altar, the Gateway to the Millet Market, the Ishtar Gate and Processional Way.
The three Pinakothek art galleries in Munich – Alte, Neue and Moderne – collectively offer up one of the largest collections of art in Europe, covering European art from the Middle Ages to the present.
The Wallraf-Richartz-Museum in Cologne has an outstanding collection of paintings from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, with 20th-century art displayed in the Museum Ludwig, which is part of the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum.
The Deutsches Museum is the pride and joy of Munich, and among the largest and most comprehensive technology museums in the world. It has large-scale displays as well as working models and pure science exhibits.
The Zwinger in Dresden houses several superb museums, but none more impressive than the Old Masters Picture Gallery where you can view a collection of largely Renaissance and Baroque paintings. Also worth a visit is the Green Vault treasury in the Residenzschloss.
The Forum of Contemporary History in Leipzig is the repository of modern German history that many visitors search for in Berlin in vain. The museum has a first-class multimedia exhibition on a divided and ultimately reunited Germany.
The Federal Art Space in Bonn is a huge exhibit space which has no permanent collection, but hosts world-class exhibitions from around the world on various themes.
The Rheinisches Landesmuseum in Trier has the most impressive collection of Roman artifacts in Germany, which complements the city's huge trove of Roman ruins that has been described as the largest such collection north of the Alps.
The Lutherhaus Museum in Lutherstadt-Wittenberg is devoted to the church reformer Martin Luther, with excellent displays recounting the history of the Reformation. All descriptions in the museum are in both German and English.
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