James Simon Gallery

Opened in July 2019, the James-Simon-Galerie is the central entrance and visitor centre of Berlin's Museum Island. British architect David Chipperfield designed the building, constructed between 2009 and 2018 between the Kupfergraben canal and the Neues Museum, on the site of Schinkel's Packhof warehouse demolished in 1938. A 110-metre colonnade of 22 slender white concrete columns echoes Friedrich August Stueler's colonnaded courtyards. The building is named after the Berlin textile magnate James Simon, who before 1914 donated the Nefertiti bust and the Tell Halaf finds, among many other treasures. Inside are ticket counters, a cafe, auditorium and temporary exhibition halls, with a terrace looking towards the Pergamonmuseum and the Lustgarten.