As a sophomore architecture student at NCSU I took two History of Architecture
classes. Out of many lectures, buildings, and architects, my
favorite one studied was on the Altes Museum.
It was designed by the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel in the neoclassical style of
architecture, built during the 1820s, and is located in Berlin, Germany, on
Museum Island. My professor, Dr. Kristen Schaffer, talked
about this museum for an entire class, and she rarely dedicated a whole lecture
to one building. I never thought anyone could talk about a building for an hour
and fifteen minutes, but she was so enthused about its design. I soaked up every word.
When my current Prague Institute professor said we were taking a class trip
to Berlin, the first thing I thought was “Are we going to the Altes Museum?!”
Sadly, that wasn’t part of our itinerary so I had to make my own plans to insure that I would see this historical building.
When we found out the location of our hostel, we realized we
were just a few blocks away from the Altes Museum. So one morning we got up
early and went to the museum to draw at 6:45 a.m.
The two pictures below were taken one hour apart from each
other. The one on top was taken at 6:45 a.m. while the one below was at 7:45
a.m. I prefer the bottom picture
because the wall behind the colonnade looks uniform and doesn’t draw attention to a certain part like the
one above does. The lights for the lobby are too overpowering, especially early
in the morning.
Here it is in plan:
During my time abroad I have drawn on only one page at a time in my spiral sketchbook. The horizontal nature of the building, it is longer than it is tall, provoked me to capture it horizontally in my sketch. So I drew across the spiral binding.
What’s interesting is that the colonnade is only on the
front of the museum.
This is taken from right behind the colonnade on the outside
of the building.
The entry is situated between columns. Notice the glass between the columns?
Yeah, nice touch huh? The glass runs across the whole lobby space between
columns. Aren’t the steel columns a nice touch too? And look at the detailing
of how the glass fits against the column. Right, because that makes the museum airtight? (total sarcasm).
Schinkel designed it so that it was completely open into the space inside without a glass barrier between the inside of the museum and the outside. Standing there I realized that, yes, being completely open to the outdoors may not be best for the artwork in the galleries, but the glass is so artificial looking and isn’t part of the original design.
Schinkel designed it so that it was completely open into the space inside without a glass barrier between the inside of the museum and the outside. Standing there I realized that, yes, being completely open to the outdoors may not be best for the artwork in the galleries, but the glass is so artificial looking and isn’t part of the original design.
Immediately upon entering the museum, the visitor is faced with a dilemma: the visitor is standing before a wall that has a punched
opening in the middle of the wall leaving the visitor confused about how to reach the second story.
From other museums, mostly contemporary designs, that I have visited, the staircase is a main feature of the lobby.
The problem is, it isn’t clear how to get to the second story since Schinkel only reveals half of the staircase on the wall and does not make the stairs visible at the level where the visitor first enters the museum. From my history class lecture I knew where the stairs were so it made my decision less overwhelming.
From other museums, mostly contemporary designs, that I have visited, the staircase is a main feature of the lobby.
The problem is, it isn’t clear how to get to the second story since Schinkel only reveals half of the staircase on the wall and does not make the stairs visible at the level where the visitor first enters the museum. From my history class lecture I knew where the stairs were so it made my decision less overwhelming.
You walk through the opening between the staircases. In front
of you, you see part of a rotunda that slightly mimics the Parthenon in Rome.
BUT, on your way to the rotunda (pictured above), if you
look to the right and/or left, you’ll see the staircase.
Ah. Beautiful. It’s so simple, elegant, yet demanding in its
presence. The steps aren’t as high as normal and the tread (where your foot
steps) is longer than most typical interior steps. It forces you to walk slowly
and take your time.
In the picture below, the gray square is where you stand
between the lobby (on left) and the rotunda (on right). It causes a moment of
pause between those two spaces.
As you reach the landing at the top of this first set of
steps, you are faced with a solid wall that allows you to turn directions and introduces the view of the green space outside and beyond the building. Suddenly you find yourself on the
staircase that you first noticed when you walked into the lobby.
I have never been on a staircase as grand as the one Schinkel designed for this museum. It
felt wonderful to be inside this historical piece of architecture and to be able to
experience all of those notes that I wrote down in my history class.
Oh! And what about the artwork, you ask?
Right. Museums. Artwork.
The Altes Museum contains a very well known classical art collection. That made it even more inviting for me as I enjoy classical art and as a Greek American I am proud to walk through the Greek exhibits.
I highly recommend the Altes Museum for your itinerary the next time you visit Berlin. It’s something you don’t want to miss! Plus, you’ll know where the staircase is!
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