New museum quarter opens at Berlin's main train station

A new museum quarter has opened in the area around Berlin's Central Railway Station, or Hauptbahnhof.

The Museum of Natural History, the Hamburger Bahnhof contemporary art gallery, the Futurium and the Charité Museum of the History of Medicine have joined forces to form the MuseumsMeileMitte, or Museum Mile in the Mitte district.

The opening was celebrated on Saturday with a neighbourhood festival, including free admission to all four museums and events including workshops, guided tours, treasure hunts and film programmes.

The museums are all about a 10 to 15-minute walk from one another. According to the press release, the institutions already attract 2 million people to the area each year. In future, there are plans for joint events and initiatives.

Guided walks, for example, will allow visitors to discover lesser-known corners of the area around the Invalidenstrasse main thoroughfare through the area. 

Along the former Berlin Wall, "a neighbourhood that is actively shaping the city’s future" is emerging in collaboration with the local community, institutions and businesses, said Till Fellrath, director of the Hamburger Bahnhof gallery.

The area has long been shaped by its location in the former border zone, the initiative writes on its website. This historical divide meant that urban life could only develop in isolated pockets. "To this day, the neighbourhood appears fragmented and disconnected in places - and that is precisely where its special potential lies."