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Berlin’s most impressive museum is a vast treasure trove of antiquities (see Pergamonmuseum) .

The star exhibit in the Egyptian Museum, currently in the Altes Museum, is the mysteriously beautiful bust of Nefertiti, wife of Akhenaton. The long-necked limestone bust, discovered in 1912, probably served as a model. Also worth seeing is the “Berlin Green Head”, a small bust from the 4th century BC. The museum also holds numerous mummies, sarcophagi, murals and sculptures.

Germany’s largest History Museum uses unique exhibits, documents and films to take the visitor on a journey through German history, from the Middle Ages to the present day. Special exhibitions are devoted to particular themes (see pp12–5).

The five museums based in southern Berlin are a fantastic resource of exotic cultures. Four museums are devoted to Far Eastern, Indian, North American and African art, from prehistory to the present day. Among the star exhibits are bronzes from Benin and Japanese woodcuts. The Ethnologisches Museum (Museum of Ethnology), devoted to the cultures of the Pacific area, is equally impressive. Among its exhibits are gold treasures of the Inca (see Grunewald & Dahlem) .

The new Jewish Museum, housed in a spectacular building designed by Daniel Libeskind, documents the German–Jewish relationship through the centuries. There are special exhibitions on the influence of Berlin Jews on the town’s cultural life, and on the life of the Enlightenment philosopher Moses Mendelssohn. An empty room commemorates the loss of Jewish culture. There is also an exciting programme of special events (see Kreuzberg & Schöneberg) .

The fascinating Museum of Technology, on the site of a former station, has fascinating hands-on displays on the history of technology (see Kreuzberg & Schöneberg) .

European crafts from over five centuries are on display at this museum. Its most valuable exhibits are the treasure of the Guelphs from Braunschweig and the silver treasure of the town council in Lüneburg. The museum also holds valuable Italian tin-glazed earthenware, Renaissance faïence and German Baroque glass and ceramics. Popular displays show Neo-Classical porcelain and furniture, Jugendstil art and Tiffany vases, as well as 20th-century Art-Deco and modern designs.

With over 60 million exhibits, the Natural History Museum is one of the largest of its kind. A star feature is the world’s largest dinosaur skeleton, a brachiosaurus found in Tanzania in 1909. Six further dinosaur skeletons as well as many fossils of mussels, birds and mammals take the visitor back to prehistoric times. A visit to the glittering exhibition of meteorites and minerals is a special treat for fans of gems and precious stones.

The museum at the former Allied checkpoint documents events at the Berlin Wall (see Kreuzberg & Schöneberg) .

Some 750 musical instruments can be heard in this museum, including such famous ones as Frederick the Great’s harpsichord. Don’t miss the silent-film organ which still works (first Sat in the month, noon).