For over sixty years, the Neues Museum in Berlin had been inaccessible to visitors, its ruins serving as a reminder of the destruction caused by World War II. But, in 2009, the neoclassical building underwent an extraordinary transformation, becoming one of the city's most celebrated attractions. Through British architect David Chipperfield's innovative design, the museum successfully combines its past with the present, presenting visitors with a unique blend of ancient historic collections and modern elements.

The museum houses two permanent collections, the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung (Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection) and the Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte (Museum of Pre- and Early History). Spanning four millennia, the Egyptian Museum features mummies, sculptures and sarcophagi, including the iconic Nefertiti Bust. Meanwhile, the Museum of Pre- and Early History showcases artifacts from the Stone Ages to the Middle Ages, including the Berlin Gold Hat and the Neanderthal skull.

The Neues Museum was commissioned by Frederick William IV of Prussia in 1843, and opened to the public in 1855. During World War II, the museum sustained considerable damage, with the majority of its artifacts destroyed by bombings. In 1986, the East German government launched a restoration project, but it was not until 1997 when architect David Chipperfield won the commission to begin the Neues Museum's redesign. His proposal called for a balanced blend of old and new, preserving the original structure while respecting the damage inflicted by the war. His design was met with some skepticism by traditionalists, but reconstruction began in 2003 and the museum reopened in 2009.