Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Dahlem and around
he mostly residential suburb of
Dahlem
, southwest of central Berlin, has the feel of
a neat village-like enclave a world away from the city centre. he main draws are the
exotic artefacts in the excellent
Museen Dahlem
group, but you could also visit the
Domäne Dahlem
, a working pre-industrial farm-cum-museum; the nearby
Dorfkirche
St Annen
, a pretty brick church that dates back to 1220 (o
cially Mon, Wed & Sat
2-5pm), which boasts a Baroque pulpit and gallery and a carved wooden altar; and the
city's impressive
Botanical Gardens
. You should, too, investigate the good
beer gardens
of the area (see p.205) - popular with students from the nearby Free University.
10
Museen Dahlem
he
Museen Dahlem
incorporates the
Museum of Ethnology
and
the
Asian Art Museum
,
and a block in the opposite direction from the underground station, the
Museum of
European Cultures
.
Museum of Ethnology
Lansstr. 8 • Tues-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat & Sun 11am-6pm • €8 •
T
030 830 14 38 or
T
030 266 42 42 42,
W
smb.museum • U-Dahlem-Dorf
he
Museum of Ethnology
(Ethnologisches Museum) imaginatively displays just a small
portion of one of the world's most extensive ethnological collections. Covering Asia,
Africa, the Americas and the Pacific and South Sea islands, the museum details the
varying cultures of dozens of civilizations and ethnic groups, each with their own
traditions, religious beliefs and artistic forms. Look out for the dramatically lit group
of sailing boats from the South Seas; the huge and macabre engraved stone stele from
Guatemala; and the thoughtful exhibition on North American Indians, which not only
contains artefacts such as clothing and weapons, but also examples of the non-Indian
literature and ephemera - dime novels, advertising signs, rodeo posters and the like -
that created many of our perceptions of indigenous American life. Equally imposing
is a wall of painted ceremonial masks from South Asia and an exhibit of huts from
Polynesia, Micronesia, New Guinea and New Zealand. Many of the smaller pieces, such
as bronzes from Benin and carved figures from Central America, are also captivating.
Asian Art Museum
Lansstr. 8 • Tues-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat & Sun 11am-6pm • €8 •
T
030 83 01 43 82 or
T
030 266 42 42 42,
W
smb.museum • U-Dahlem-Dorf
he exceptional
Asian Art Museum
(Museum für Asiatische Kunst) is split into two
sections - one dealing with the Indian subcontinent and one devoted to the Far
East. he former includes an assortment of intricate bronze, wood or jade religious
sculptures, many of which come from the Buddhist temples and monasteries along
the northern Silk Route. Religious art naturally comprises the great bulk of the
collection but there's also an intriguing series of miniature paintings covering
secular subjects, such as court scenes and nature studies, and displaying a certain
informality and playfulness. he Far East section includes an impressive Chinese
calligraphy collection but many of the best exhibits are Japanese, including
woodcuts, a stunning seventeenth-century gold-and-lacquer throne inlaid with
mother-of-pearl, and a tearoom.
The Museum of European Cultures
Im Winkel 6 • Tues-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat & Sun 11am-6pm • €8 •
T
030 266 42 68 02 or
T
030 266 42 42 42,
W
smb.museum •
U-Dahlem-Dorf
A short signposted walk down Archivstrasse directly opposite U-Bahn Dahlem-Dorf
brings you to the
Museum of European Cultures
(Museum Europäischer Kulturen),
which uses its extraordinary 275,000-item collection of handicrafts, paintings, prints
and the like to put together changing exhibitions on subjects such as religious practices,
modernization and commerce in various European regions. It's strong on German
culture, with lots from France and Russia too.
