Exhibition in the Neues Museum
After moving back to the Neues Museum, the Museum of Prehistory and Early History became reintegrated into the overall presentation of ancient cultures. It shows the cultural development of Europe and the Mediterranean from the Paleolithic to medieval times. In the Neues Museum, this development is illustrated by a carefully chosen selection from a total stock of more than 200,000 objects. Precious parts of the collection, such as Heinrich Schliemann’s gold finds from Troy and the Eberswalde Hoard, are cultural assets that were relocated to Russia as a result of the war. Replicas of them are on exhibit in Berlin.
In 1855, the museum opened its exhibition, which was then called “Collection of Nordic Antiquities,” in the Neues Museum where the so-called Hall of the Fatherland offered new possibilities for presentation. Prior to that, the collection had been housed in Monbijou Palace under much more cramped conditions. The last pre-war site of the Museum of Prehistory and Early History was the Martin-Gropius-Bau. The collection was torn apart during World War II. After reunification, it was reassembled again in the Langhansbau of Charlottenburg Palace.