Is the Pergamon Museum Open in 2026? (Reopen June 2027)

The Pergamon Museum is closed. It has been since October 2023, and it won't reopen until 4 June 2027 — and only partially at that point. The Ishtar Gate, the Processional Way and the Market Gate of Miletus stay closed for years beyond that.

That's the short version. The longer version is more useful: there is a substitute that's been open the whole time, it's included in the standard Museum Island day ticket, and it's the closest thing to the Pergamon Altar a visitor can see anywhere until the North Wing reopens.

In 3 minutes, you'll know:

• Exactly what's closed and when each wing returns
• The €12 substitute exhibition and what it actually shows
• Which ticket gets you the most for the same money

What's open right now: the Pergamon Panorama

At Am Kupfergraben 2, a four-minute walk from Museum Island across the canal, the Staatliche Museen run a temporary exhibition called Pergamonmuseum — Das Panorama. It opened in November 2018 as a placeholder during the restoration and is currently the only Pergamon-themed experience open to the public.

Two parts:

About 80 original sculptures from the Pergamon collection, including the Telephos Frieze (a long narrative relief that originally ran around the inner court of the Altar), the giant head of Herakles, the Beautiful Head, the Archaistic Dancer from the palace, the Prometheus group, and the Athena with the cross-strapped shield. These are real Pergamon artefacts — the same pieces that were in the main museum before October 2023.

Yadegar Asisi's 360° painted panorama, a 15-metre-tall continuous painting that reconstructs Pergamon as it appeared around 129 AD, including the Acropolis with the Altar in its original architectural setting. Elevated viewing platforms inside the rotunda change the perspective on the city as you climb. Combined with ambient sound and lighting cycles that simulate dawn to dusk, the room is the closest a visitor can get to standing on the ancient Acropolis.

The exhibition runs until the main museum reopens. Most visitors spend 45 minutes to an hour inside.

Tickets: which one to buy

Three options to know about:

• Pergamon Panorama only — €12 (€6 concession, under 18 free). Direct from the SMB site. Good for transit visits where the Panorama is the single stop.
• Museum Island day ticket — €24 (SMB) or €26 (GYG). Covers the four open Museum Island museums (Altes, Neues, Alte Nationalgalerie, Bode) plus the Panorama. Anyone visiting Museum Island for the day saves €14-€16 on this versus paying singles.
• Museum Pass Berlin — €32 for three consecutive days, covers 30+ SMB museums citywide including the Panorama. Worth it if you'll also see Hamburger Bahnhof, the Gemäldegalerie, or the Neue Nationalgalerie within the same trip.

The trap is paying €14 each at the door for individual Museum Island entries. Four singles plus the Panorama come to €68; the day ticket gets you the same for €24-€26.

When the Pergamon actually reopens (the honest timeline)

The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation announced the reopening date in May 2026: 4 June 2027 for the North Wing.

What that means in practice:

Open from June 2027: The Pergamon Altar Hall returns. The Museum of Islamic Art reopens in a fully redesigned permanent exhibition. The Altar — closed since 2014, longer than any other piece — will be visible for the first time in more than a decade.

Still closed after June 2027: The South Wing. That includes the Ishtar Gate, the Processional Way of Babylon, and the Market Gate of Miletus. These are the three pieces most international visitors associate with the Pergamon name, and they are not expected to reopen until the 2030s.

Full reopening of the entire museum, including the Altar Hall in its final restored state, is planned for around 2037. That figure is the long-range goal stated by the Foundation; expect slippage.

What you can't see anywhere right now

To set expectations honestly, here's what the closure removes from a 2026 Berlin trip and what does not substitute:

• The Pergamon Altar (original): closed since 2014, returns 4 June 2027. The Asisi Panorama reconstructs it visually but isn't the marble.
• The Ishtar Gate of Babylon: closed until the 2030s. The Panorama does not reconstruct it — its subject is Pergamon, not Babylon.
• The Processional Way of Babylon: same as the Ishtar Gate, closed until the 2030s.
• The Market Gate of Miletus: same wing, same timeline.
• The Museum of Islamic Art (original layout): closed; will reopen in 2027 in a redesigned form.

If any of these are the main reason for a Berlin trip in 2026, the trip should probably be deferred to summer 2027 (for the Altar) or to the 2030s (for the Ishtar Gate and the Babylonian collection).

What do most visitors wish they knew about the Pergamon closure?

Three things. First, that the closure was not a surprise — it was announced years ago — but most travel content online still treats the Pergamon as if it's open. If a ticket page or Berlin guide doesn't mention the 2023-2027 closure, it's outdated. Second, that the Panorama is a separate building across the canal, not on Museum Island itself — visitors with the Museum Island day ticket sometimes finish the four museums and walk away thinking they're done, without realising the Panorama is two minutes further. Third, that on Museumssonntag (free first Sunday of every month) the Panorama is included in the free admission, but the timed slots are released two weeks ahead and sell out within hours.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Pergamon Museum open in 2026?

No. The Pergamonmuseum has been closed entirely since October 2023 for structural restoration. It will reopen partially on 4 June 2027, with only the North Wing accessible at that point. The Pergamon — Das Panorama exhibition at Am Kupfergraben 2 is open and shows about 80 original sculptures from the Pergamon collection plus a 360° panoramic reconstruction of ancient Pergamon.

When will the Pergamon Museum reopen?

The North Wing reopens 4 June 2027 with the Pergamon Altar Hall and a redesigned Museum of Islamic Art. The South Wing — which contains the Ishtar Gate, the Processional Way of Babylon, and the Market Gate of Miletus — stays closed beyond 2027 and is not expected to reopen until the 2030s. Full restoration of the entire museum is scheduled for around 2037.

Can I see the Pergamon Altar anywhere right now?

Not the original. The Pergamon Altar has been closed to the public since 2014 and won't reopen until the North Wing returns on 4 June 2027. The closest substitute is Yadegar Asisi's Pergamon Panorama at Am Kupfergraben 2, a 360° painted reconstruction of the Altar in its original architectural setting on the Acropolis around 129 AD.

What is the Pergamon Panorama?

A separate exhibition building at Am Kupfergraben 2, across the canal from Museum Island. It combines about 80 original sculptures from the Pergamon collection — including the Telephos Frieze, the head of Herakles, the Beautiful Head, and the Archaistic Dancer — with a 15-metre-high, 360° painted panorama by Yadegar Asisi that places the visitor inside ancient Pergamon in 129 AD. Tickets €12, under 18 free.

How much do Pergamon Panorama tickets cost?

€12 standalone (€6 concession, under 18 free) when booked through the official SMB site. Included in the Museumsinsel-Ticket (€24, SMB) and the GetYourGuide Museum Island day ticket (€26, includes skip-the-line and free cancellation). Both ticket options cover the four open Museum Island museums plus the Panorama in the same day.

Is the Ishtar Gate visible anywhere in 2026?

No. The Ishtar Gate, the Processional Way of Babylon and the Market Gate of Miletus are all in the South Wing, which is undergoing the longest part of the restoration. They will not be on view until at least the 2030s. The Asisi Panorama does not reconstruct the Ishtar Gate — its subject is the city of Pergamon, not Babylon.

How long does the Pergamon Panorama take?

Most visitors spend 45 minutes to an hour. The panoramic painting itself takes 15-20 minutes to walk around (there's an elevated viewing platform that changes the perspective on the city), and the sculpture rooms take another 20-30 minutes. It's significantly shorter than a full Pergamon Museum visit would have been (90-120 minutes pre-closure), which is realistic given the smaller scale.

The honest summary: the Pergamon as most international visitors imagine it — the Altar, the Ishtar Gate, the Processional Way — is not accessible in 2026. Part of it returns June 2027, the rest of it returns in the 2030s. The Panorama is a real substitute for the Altar and worth the €12 on its own, or zero extra if you're already on Museum Island for the day. The full one-day Museum Island route puts the Panorama at the end of the visit, after the four open museums.