My trip to Berlin, part 1: I visit a lot of museums

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go with my new friend Maris on a trip to Berlin. Berlin is the capital of Germany. It is located in the eastern part of the country not all that far from Poland. Because Berlin has been an important city for many centuries, it has a lot of fun museums full of cool things for visitors like me to go and see. This is the first of three posts I'm going to make about my trip to Berlin, and in it I'm going to focus on my trip to Museum Island.


Part of Berlin is located on a river called the River Spree. There is an island in that river known as Museum Island because lots of museums are located on it. These are the Old Museum, the New Museum, the Old National Gallery, the Bode Museum, and the Pergamon Museum. I didn't have time to go to all five, but I did enjoy walking all around the island.

First, I went to the New Museum. In German, it is called the Neues Museum (you might have noticed that the German language is actually quite similar to English). It is best known for its many ancient artifacts, including many from Ancient Egypt.

Here I am in front of one of the statues outside the Neues Museum. 

Now I am inside the Neues Museum ready to take a look at all the artifacts.

Next, I went to the Pergamon Museum. The Pergamon Museum got its name because it houses a huge altar that was taken from the ancient Greek city of Pergamon, located near the Aegean Sea in the western part of what is now Turkey. Isn't it a very imposing edifice?

Outside the Pergamon Museum on Museum Island in Berlin.

The Pergamon Altar, the centerpiece of the Pergamon Museum.

Looking across the River Spree at the Pergamon Museum.

I also looked around some of the other museums on Museum Island. It was a really fun place to go visit!

On Museum Island in Berlin.

Looking across the River Spree in Berlin.

The Old National Gallery ("Alte Nationalgalerie" in German) on Museum Island.

My favorite museum in Berlin actually was not located on Museum Island. It was the German History Museum, called the "Deutsches Historisches Museum" in German, which is located just across the Spree from Museum Island. I really enjoy learning about exciting things that have happened in the past. Here's a picture of me with Otto von Bismarck, who is a revered national figure from the late 1800s. Bismarck was the chancellor to Kaiser Wilhelm I, the first emperor of Germany. Bismarck oversaw the unification of lots of different Germany countries into a single empire with its capital at Berlin. Because he was so powerful – and also so ruthless – he got the nickname "the Iron Chancellor." In this statue, however, he is made of stone rather than iron.

I pose with Otto von Bismarck at the German History Museum.

I'm going to tell you much more about the history of Germany in my next two posts from Berlin. One thing that's important to keep in mind is that history isn't always a very happy topic to study. A lot of very bad things have happened in the world. I think it's important that we learn about them and talk about them. I certainly feel like I learned a lot of important things about the past on my visit to Berlin, so I'm excited to share them with you in my next two posts.

--Benny