Museum Island -- Bodemuseum by yooperprof
The Bodemuseum is at the far northern tip of the Museuminsel. It was designed with the assistance of the director of Berlin's state museums at the time, Wilhelm van Bode - from whom it currently derives its name. (When the museum was first opened in 1904, it was called the Kaiser Friedrich Museum and housed an eclectic mix of collectibles and knickknacks.) The Bodemuseum will be the last museum on Museuminsel to be renovated, with re-opening currently scheduled for sometime around 2008. The museum will continue to have an interesting mix of collections: Byzantine Art, coins and medallions, and classical European sculpture from Donatello to Canova.
I'm sure that the politics, financing, and history of Berlin's museums would make for a fascinating book!
