Kunstgewerbemuseum

The Museum of Decorative Arts (Kunstgewerbemuseum) of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin ranks among the most important collections of European decorative arts, spanning the Middle Ages to the present day. Founded in 1868 from exhibits at the Paris World's Fair, the museum quickly developed into one of Europe's leading institutions. After several moves and the division of its holdings during World War II, the museum today has two locations. Its main site is at the Kulturforum in Berlin-Mitte, where a purpose-built building has housed the collection since 1985. The second venue is Köpenick Palace, which was formerly an independent institution in East Berlin.

In the main building at the Kulturforum, a tour covering 7,000 square meters takes you through the history of the decorative arts. Visitors can admire medieval treasury art, including pieces from the Guelph Treasure and Carolingian reliquaries. The Renaissance is represented by ceremonial silver from Lüneburg as well as bronzes and maiolica from Italian principalities. On the upper floor, you'll find Baroque cabinet-of-curiosities treasures, Delft faience, and glassware. The museum also displays European porcelain, particularly from Meissen, as well as ornamental objects from the Rococo to the Art Nouveau period. A fashion and costume collection of national significance, enriched by important acquisitions, forms its own focus on the ground floor.

On the lower level of the Kulturforum building, 20th-century decorative arts are complemented by industrial products. The branch at Köpenick Palace is devoted to the art of interior furnishing from the 16th to the 18th centuries. There, a permanent exhibition presents a cross-section of interior design from the Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo eras. With more than 62,000 visitors in 2023, the museum remains an important cultural attraction, impressively documenting the diversity and evolution of European decorative arts.