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SMART TRAVELLER


GE RMANY Eyes on Berlin


THE GERMAN CAPITAL IS SET TO LAUNCH A FIVE-YEAR PROGRAMME OF EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS CELEBRATING MUSEUM ISLAND’S 200TH ANNIVERSARY


In 1825, the foundation stone for Prussia’s first public museum, the Altes Museum, was laid on Berlin’s Spree Island, marking the start of an ambitious project to create a sanctuary for art and science. Now known as Museum Island, it’s celebrating its 200th anniversary this year. The Neues Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie and Bode


Museum followed, with the Pergamon Museum (closed for renovations until 2027) completing the five institutions in 1930. In 2019, they were joined by a striking modern visitor centre. Today, this ensemble between the River Spree and the Spree Canal, less than half an hour’s walk east of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, has UNESCO World Heritage Site status. Their collections of art and cultural artefacts from across Europe and the wider Mediterranean region — such as the Nefertiti Bust,


Babylon’s Ishtar Gate and Manet’s Winter Garden — trace over 6,000 years of civilisation. The anniversary celebrations kick off with an


open-air festival and a multitude of events, including the world premiere of a documentary chronicling the story of Museum Island — and with it, 200 years of German history. There are film screenings, concerts and presentations throughout the summer, plus a pop-up bar amid Museum Island’s 19th-century colonnades. Over the next five years, the museums will take


turns hosting special exhibitions and educational programmes. First up is the Altes Museum, where a major exhibition reflecting on its architecture and history, as well as the origins of Museum Island, opens on 9 July. visitberlin.de CHRISTIE DIETZ


Above: Berlin Cathedral is part of the rich architectural mix on Museum Island


THR EE MORE GE RMAN CU LTU R AL HIGHL IGHT S IN 20 2 5


The Mass in B minor Transformed, Leipzig


This year marks 275 years since the death of Johann Sebastian Bach. As part of the annual


Bach festival in the east German city of Leipzig, harpsichordist Elina Albach and her ensemble of instrumentalists and vocalists — renowned


for their unconventional interpretations of early music — will perform a version of the majestic Mass in B minor at St Nicholas Church. 17 June. bachfestleipzig.de


Thomas Mann exhibition, Lübeck


International celebrations of the 150th birthday of writer and Nobel Prize winner Thomas Mann are planned throughout 2025. In Lübeck, his north Germany birthplace, the programme’s


focal point is a multimedia exhibition reflecting on Mann’s legacy. Called ‘My Time. Thomas


Mann and Democracy’, it traces his journey from German nationalist to champion of democracy. 6 June 2025 to 18 January 2026. museumsquartier-st-annen.de


Odyssey in C, Chemnitz This year’s European Capital of Culture, the Saxon city of Chemnitz in eastern Germany


is showcasing its cultural heritage with a diverse programme of events. As part of the Tanz | Moderne | Tanz festival for contemporary


dance, Chemnitz’s ballet company, along with international guests, will dance their way through the city in a performance


inspired by James Joyce’s Ulysses. 26-29 June. theater-chemnitz.de


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