The Atles Museum, Berlin, Germany; 1823-1830; Early 19th Century Architecture in Europe

The Atles Museum, Berlin, Germany; 1823-1830; Early 19th Century Architecture in Europe

     

The Atles Museum is located in Berlin, Germany and began construction in 1823.  While the process took seven years to complete, it is one of the first museums to be built in Europe. The design was fulfilled by Prussian architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel (Kulturbesitz,“Atles Museum: Masterplan Museumsinsel"). The name of the structure is also translated in German as the old museum.  The Atles Museum is acknowledged for being one of the most compelling examples of Neo-Classical architecture. It is a model for many other architecture buildings well into the twentieth century.

            The Museum was built on a plinth and was adapted to the Spree river, in the central Mitte district. When designing this musuem, Schinkel gained more space with this technique and enabled the museum to survive frequent occurring floods. The exterior of the Museum is arranged of a controlled façade including columns and a tiered structure. This is an example of the ancient Greek style, known best for its formal characteristic in temples. The Museum was built to house Berlin’s royal art collections and antiquity collections. It reads as such in the front of the musuem. The front elevation of the structure is outlined with eighteen ionic columns, which support a portico. The columns placed at regular intervals is influenced by the Parthenon in Athens. As each column connects to the portico, each is also situated below a statue of an eagle.

            The building was designed to be symmetrical and the façade houses the ionic order. The ionic order is known as one of the three forms in classical architecture and is designed with ornament like spirals.  The three other sides of the structure are surfaced with brick and stone. The museum sits in between two courtyards, divided by the projecting center of the building (Schinkel, "Atles Museum"). The center portion of the musuem forms a dome, which is supported by twenty grand columns. The middle of the dome incorporates a skylight in the ceiling which allows natural light to flow into the gallery space. The gallery space is created in result of the twenty columns previously mentioned (Schinkel, "Atles Museum"). The two courtyards have three existing sides that do not meet the center of the structure. Circulation throughout the building include staircases and hallways that interlock all the galleries throughout the musuem. As visitors walk through these spaces there is opportunity of indoor and outdoor experiences. Overall, the structure’s outer layer represents effortless geometric forms, while on the other hand the interior contains close attention to detail. The basic structure is easily overlooked allowing more focus on the detail and contents within the building.
              The Museum was later renovated in 1998: construction included a physical connection between other monumental buildings residing on the island. The relationship between them focuses on access points formed through an Archaeological Promenade. Previously only connected by a bridge, this designed pathway connected to the Neues Museum. This entrance is an addition to the main entryway to the Atles Museum (Kulturbesitz,“Atles Museum: Masterplan Museumsinsel").

       Kulturbesitz, Stiftung P. “Atles Museum: Masterplan Museumsinsel - A Projection into the Future.” Stiftung PreuBischer Kulturbesitz, www.museumsinsel-berlin.de/en/buildings/altes-museum/.

       Schinkel, Karl F. "Atles Museum." ArchEyes - Timeless Architecture Passionates. November 30, 2016. http://archeyes.com/altes-museum-karl-friedrich-schinkel/

       Cullen, Michael S. The Atles Museum: Volume 1 of Berliner Ansichten. Berlin Edition, 1998.