Sammlung des Winckelmann-Instituts

Archaeological teaching collection of Humboldt University with plaster casts and ancient originals; currently closed for renovation.

Temporarily closed

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Temporarily closed. The collection is currently closed for renovation work; no reopening date has been published. Inquiries are possible by email.

About the museum

The collection goes back to the "Archäologischer Apparat" (archaeological apparatus) of the Berlin university, founded in 1851 by Eduard Gerhard. Its foundation was a donation of books, plate volumes, illustrations and teaching material. In 1902, vase fragments from the Royal Museums were added, marking the start of the original collection. In 1912 the apparatus was converted into a seminar, and the plaster cast collection was transferred to the university.

Between 1916 and 1921, the archaeologist Georg Loeschcke set up the cast museum in 24 rooms on the third floor of the west wing of the main building. Starting with 2,500 objects, it was among the largest of its kind in the world. In 1941 the institute received the name "Winckelmann-Institut. Archäologisches Seminar und Museum der Gipsabgüsse" (Winckelmann Institute. Archaeological Seminar and Museum of Plaster Casts).

Today the teaching collection comprises around 1,800 plaster casts of Greek and Roman sculptures, including architectural sculpture from the Temple of Zeus and the Parthenon, about 450 South Italian vases, as well as terracottas, glass and sherds. There are also replicas of Minoan-Mycenaean vessels, watercolor copies of frescoes and extensive photographic holdings. The objects are integrated into students' training; regular exhibitions and the Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften (Long Night of the Sciences) open the collection to a wider public.