Neue Nationalgalerie

A temple of steel and glass for twentieth-century art, the Neue Nationalgalerie is the last building completed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, finished in 1968 as he returned to the city he had left decades earlier. It anchors the Kulturforum, a cluster of cultural institutions west of Potsdamer Platz.

The design is deceptively simple and hugely influential. A vast square glass hall sits on a granite podium, its flat coffered roof carried by only eight slender external steel columns so that the interior is entirely free of supports. The transparent upper pavilion is used for changing exhibitions, while the permanent collection of modern classics hangs in the sculpture-garden level below. It is a defining statement of the International Style and a pilgrimage site for architects.

The collection concentrates on the early modern era, with strong holdings in German Expressionism, Bauhaus, Cubism, Surrealism and New Objectivity. Works by Kirchner, Beckmann, Grosz, Dix, Klee and their contemporaries trace the turbulent decades before and between the world wars, including art condemned by the Nazi regime.

After years of heavy use the building was closed for a meticulous restoration led by David Chipperfield, who dismantled and reassembled thousands of components before reopening it in 2021 with its original character preserved. Visitors today experience both the art and the architecture as a single work. The plaza outside, with its Calder sculpture, is freely accessible, and the neighbouring Philharmonie and Gemäldegalerie make the Kulturforum an easy half-day of culture. The building is widely cited as a landmark of postwar modernism, and it stays in active use for major retrospectives, so the displays change regularly and reward repeat visits. Timed tickets are advisable for special shows.