The Neues Museum and Nefertiti

The famous 3,300-year-old bust of Queen Nefertiti seen at the "Neues Museum", New Museum, on the so-called Museum Island during a media preview in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009. Berlin's Neues Museum will be reopened on Friday, Oct. 16, 2009 and welcome back the famed bust of the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti, more than 60 years after World War II bombing left much of the building in ruins. The building will be reopened after a decade of painstaking restoration work, marking a major step forward in a marathon project to revive the German capital's neoclassical Museum Island complex. British architect David Chipperfield reconstructed the remains of the 'Neues Museum', originally built by Friedrich August Stueler between 1843 and 1855. — AP Photo/Markus Schreiber

So just hours back, Queen Nefertiti's bust has returned to the Neues Museum in Berlin, German after a remodeling of the monumental building. How did I find out about this? Let me be honest—I am honestly not a news buff. I actually flicked over to the German channel on my local cable service and watched Deutsche-Welle TV for a while where they talked about the reopening of the Neues Museum. The thing that caught me was the Queen's bust herself. I recognized it immediately and I stopped to listen! Lo and behold, the news was up to date. If I never watched that, I'd never know. What an interesting entry this will be. ;)

Pictures credited to The Associated Press.

Isn't it beautiful, just one of a kind? She's in a bulletproof box, obviously, and one that's 4-meters tall! When I realized this was in Germany, I knew it would be one of the places I definitely HAD to visit regardless. I have checked and its ticket will cost me €10 which equals to approximately SGD$20. Not too bad to see the real life bust of Nefertiti and other amazing Egyptian artifacts, no?

If the ministry overseeing reconstruction is able to square the circle and all goes according to plan, in 2009 the Neues Museum will also become part of the archaeological promenade. The archaeological promenade will be an underground passageway connecting all the buildings on the Museum Island, with the exception of the Alte Nationalgalerie. It will integrate the Neues Museum as an important part of the historical architectural context of the Museum Island. The Neues Museum's restored, expanded, and new galleries will then again offer, as they did before their destruction, a worthy framework for the collections of the Egyptian Museum and the Museum for Pre- and Early History. Finally, the building will at last represent a lasting monument in stone for its first architect, Friedrich August Stüler, who wished that "the whole building should form a center for the highest mental interests of the people, the likes of which no other capital would likely be able to exhibit." — Wikipedia

An archaeological promenade that connects almost all the museums? This has got to be a dream. I would probably die from it . . . and in a good way. I can't wait to spend at least a hundred Singapore dollars on these things! I can imagine if I was actually there, I would be leaving my hand prints at every glass panel there is. Hahaha, kidding. But really, it is amazing. I have always been fascinated by the Ancient Egyptians and I've even written a fictional story or two about it!

 

 

Pictures credited to berlin fan's Flickr.

I believe it looks just as beautiful to you as it does to me. There are a few more pictures where this came from so just click on the credited link above! Come the same time next year, I should have already taken a picture of the famous bust and immersed myself in the wonderful Ancient Egyptian culture and what more at on the Museum Island in Berlin. I'm not a huge museum fan but these are some of the kinds of things I cannot refuse. I love history. Are you huge museum fan?