Pergamonmuseum revisited

No trip to Berlin is complete without a trek to the Pergamonmuseum. We made our visit with some friends of ours who are also traveling in Europe, and have come to Berlin for a spell. We’ve visited the Pergamonmuseum previously, just after the wall came down in 1989.  At the time, the Pergamon was still in East Berlin and the feel of the place was quite different from our visit this trip. Back then, you paid your entry fee in flimsy East German currency at the front door and you could admire the exhibits unimpeded by crowds, security guards and barriers. Now, you have to go through the ubiquitous entry hall equipped with cloak room, book shop and audio tour headset desk, and have to battle queues, overly officious security guards and barriers to admire the exhibits. All these changes haven’t diminished the experience though. The collection still commands the same response. It is monumental, imposing, inspiring and at times, overwhelming. The museum houses 3 major collections; classical Greek and Roman antiquities, ancient art from the Near East (mainly Assyrian) and Islamic art, but the main attractions are the 3 massive structures which have been meticulously recreated, stone by stone, piece by beautiful piece. The first, and probably the most famous of the 3, is Pergamon Altar. It’s a temple from about 170BC. The Hellenic frieze that adorns the base of the altar is a masterpiece. It depicts a battle scene between giants and gods, and the figures are incredibly fluid, naturalistic, beautifully proportioned and full of movement and grace. The second structure is the grand and ornate Market Gate that stands two levels high, is from the early 2^nd century and physically forms the entry into the room containing the last great structure, the Ishtar Gate. The Ishtar Gate is from the 6^th century BC and is a soaring blue tiled fortification decorated with stone relief animals and mythical creatures.

Every object in this museum is wonderous. After our departure we all agreed that the human capacity to create incredible beauty is practically limitless.