Neues Museum Berlin

Many of the essays in this book are somewhat repetitive. There are certain themes that are discussed frequently. They include the Neues Museum as a palimpsest, the Staircase Hall, Mnemosyne, and to differing extents, the history of the building. While these are all important topics in this project, they shouldn't be discussed in almost every essay at the expense of other topics. One of the more interesting essays discusses the experience of visiting Museum Island while Berlin was still separated by the Wall. Another discusses the advanced building techniques used during the original construction of the building because of site conditions. These topics should have been discussed further. I wavered about whether to give this book three or four stars, but decided on four because the photos of the repaired building are so beautiful and the two essays mentioned above so interesting. A site plan, floor plans, sections, and elevations are all included in the appendix. There are also photos of the building in its ruined state dispersed throughout the essays.