1. Pergamon Museum: Germany’s Most Visited Museum Offers Gifts Online
The Pergamon Museum is known for reconstructing massive archaeological structures – the Pergamon Altar, the Market Gate of Miletus, the Ishtar Gate and Processional Way from Babylon, and the Mshatta Facade. Its initial construction took 20 years. Current ongoing renovations seem to take at least the same amount of time. The gift shop of this Germany’s most visited museum includes a vast selection of books, poster prints, as well as notebooks, postcards, and more.
Due to renovations, the Pergamon Museum will be closed until 2027. But don’t worry; you can still order most of their wonderful books and items from their online shop. For history and jewelry enthusiasts, I recommend checking out their collection inspired by the half-moon jewelry from the 6th century AD.
2. Bode Museum (Famous for a 100kg Stolen Coin)
The concept of the Bode Museum goes back to the Crown Princess Victoria of Prussia’s memorandum from 1883. When the museum opened in 1904, it displayed paintings alongside sculptures. That was a radically new approach to presenting art in a museum at the time. After being badly damaged during the Second World War, extensive renovations ensued. Today, it houses late antique and Byzantine art, sculpture, paintings from the 13th to 18th centuries, and a vast collection of coins and medals. In 2017, the museum made it onto international news when the heavy gold coin known as Big Maple Leaf went missing in a heist.
The museum’s gift shop bestsellers are art prints, postcards, and historically inspired paperweights made from limestone.
3. Alte Nationalgalerie: Finest Impressionist Art Gifts
The Alte Nationalgalerie‘s permanent exhibition focuses on the 19th century, so it particularly appeals to fans of art between classicism and Secession. The museum also holds a vast collection of impressionistic masterpieces by Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, and Paul Cézanne.
The museum shop offers postcards and posters on top of literature on art and artists. Adding to the product variety are the numerous fine art prints for sale. If you are having summer nostalgia, you can now order their beautiful hand-held fans with patterns from the museum’s art collection from their online shop.
Pro-Tip: If you are not in Berlin, make sure to check out the museum’s grand digital exhibition with more than 2000 pictures of artworks!
4. Martin-Gropius-Bau: One of Europe’s Most Important Exhibition Venues
The Martin-Gropius-Bau is located in a Neo-Renaissance building built in 1881. The building is a masterpiece of 19th-century architecture and an artwork on its own. Apart from seasonal exhibitions, the building also hosts artist-in-residence studios and workshops. This year, it focuses on video and sound installations and topics such as artificial intelligence.
The Walther König Bookshop in the Martin-Gropius-Bau offers a large selection of literature and illustrated books about its featured exhibitions. You can also purchase corresponding postcards and prints and find some of the books online on the bookstore’s website.
Moreover, this museum has something to offer for everyone outside Germany: their media library. You can read articles, listen to interviews, and watch their exhibition videos.
5. Bröhan Museum: Art Deco Gifts to Die For
The Bröhan-Museum is the Berlin city’s museum for Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Functionalism. Besides paintings, you can see porcelain, glass, and metal works here. All were donated to the City of Berlin by local art collector and entrepreneur Karl H. Bröhan. The museum is located in the late-classical former barracks for the guards of Charlottenburg Castle.
The museum’s gift shop offers postcard sets, wrapping paper books, nostalgic children’s books, and pewter utensils. Furthermore, you can buy jewelry, literature, and unique everyday items there.