Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The late-Neoclassical station building was erected in the 1840s as the terminus of the railway line to Hamburg and is the only surviving one of Berlin's great terminus stations. Passenger service ended as early as 1884; from 1906 the remodeled building, with a new main hall and side wings, served as a Transport and Construction Museum. After severe war damage it remained closed for decades, because the site in West Berlin was under the control of the East German Reichsbahn.

Only in 1984 did the site pass to the West Berlin Senate. The occasion for its conversion was the important collection of building contractor Erich Marx, with major works by Joseph Beuys, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg and Cy Twombly. After remodeling by Josef Paul Kleihues, the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation) opened the building in November 1996 as the Nationalgalerie's Museum für Gegenwart (Museum of the Present).

In the following years the Marzona Collection, with Conceptual Art and Arte Povera, was added, as was – first as a controversial loan, later partly donated – the Friedrich Christian Flick Collection, which was shown in the adjacent Rieckhallen. Their planned demolition was the subject of a long struggle.

Since 2022 the museum has been led by Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath; it now bears the name “Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart” and sees itself more strongly as an open place for the city's community. In 2026 it celebrates its 30th anniversary with a new collection presentation on the Berlin art scene since 1989 and numerous special exhibitions.

Highlights

• Historic station hall as an exhibition and performance space
• Joseph Beuys collection presentation, including “Das Kapital Raum 1970–1977”
• “Unendliche Ausstellung” (Infinite Exhibition) with permanently installed works in the building and outdoors, such as Dan Flavin's light installation on the façade
• Collection presentation “Tausendmal Berlin” on Berlin art since 1989
• Rieckhallen with large-scale installations

Permanent exhibitions

• Tausendmal Berlin. Die Sammlung Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart – New collection presentation for the 30th anniversary, with more than 70 works by more than 50 artists on the Berlin art scene in global exchange since 1989.
• Joseph Beuys. Werke aus der Sammlung der Nationalgalerie – Key room installations and groups of works by Joseph Beuys from the collection, including Das Kapital Raum and Straßenbahnhaltestelle (Tram Stop).
• Unendliche Ausstellung – More than 20 permanently installed works from the collection are spread across the building and outdoor grounds and can be discovered on a tour.

Founded

1996

Operated by

Staatliche Museen zu Berlin – Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz

Director

Sam Bardaouil und Till Fellrath

Visitors per year

approx. 445,000 (2025)

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Every first Sunday of the month (Museumssonntag Berlin)

Day ticket including special exhibitions; advance sales online 28 days ahead. Also free for recipients of Bürgergeld (citizen's income), housing benefit, basic income support or asylum seekers' benefits, ICOM/DMB, press and members of the friends' association, among others. Multimedia guide included in the price. The price page lists two different prices for the Museumspass Berlin (€32 and €29).

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

According to the museum, the main building is fully wheelchair-accessible; access to the Rieckhallen (including the Ryuichi Sakamoto exhibition) is currently not step-free – assistance at the information desk by the ticket desk. Inclusive programs through the Volkswagen Group Art4All education program.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

Monthly Family Sundays and an open studio for families (Sundays from 12:00), plus workshops for ages 6 to 12. Free family booklet “Ich versteh nur Bahnhof” at the ticket desk (with a family ticket or annual pass). According to the visitor regulations of the Staatliche Museen, certain strollers may have to be swapped for strollers provided by the museum; children may not be carried in back carriers or on shoulders.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Restaurant Konstantin and the Walther König bookshop (during museum opening hours). Free cloakroom/lockers; larger bags and backpacks must be checked, no travel luggage.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Rentals via Museum&Location (the events company of the Staatliche Museen) for daytime and evening events; inner courtyard for receptions in the warmer months.

Plan your visit