| 8 March 1841: |
Frederick William IV, King of Prussia, orders the construction of the museum, on the grounds that there is not enough space in the Altes Museum to display the growing collections. He assigns Ignaz Maria von Olfers, General Director of the Royal Museums, and Friedrich August Stüler, Privy Councillor for Construction, the task of coming up with the necessary plans to be submitted to him. |
| 19 June 1841: |
Building work commences led by construction superintendent Carl Wilhelm Hoffmann. Existing buildings on the site are demolished, their foundations excavated. A grillage consisting of 2344 piles is created and set in place using a steam-powered pile driver imported from America especially for the purpose. |
| 1843: |
The first foundation stone is laid. Construction of the outer walls and the roof of the main building are completed by the end of the year. |
| 1847: |
Wilhelm von Kaulbach begins the task of painting the rooms, a process which will eventually involve numerous Berlin artists from the Late Classicist period. |
| 1850: |
The first sections of the Neues Museum are opened to the public on the ground floor: the Egyptian Collection and Kupferstichkabinnet (now the Museum of Prints and Drawings). |
| 1851: |
The walkway to the Altes Museum is completed. |
| 1854: |
Hoffmann hands supervision of construction work over to Friedrich Adler, who will ultimately oversee the building’s completion. |
| 1855: |
Situated on the third floor of the building, the next section to open its doors to the public is the Kunstkammer, an ‘art cabinet’ of architectural models, furniture pieces and various vessels made of clay and glass. |
| 1856: |
On the main floor of the building, the Collection of Germanic Antiquities (or ‘Antiquities of the Fatherland’) and the Plaster Cast Collection are opened to the public. The erection of four cast-zinc figures on the roof and the group of sculptures in the western tympanum marks the completion of the museum’s exterior. |
| 1859: |
The last collection to open to the public is the Ethnographic Collection on the ground floor. |
| 1866: |
The vestibule is converted into the Neues Museum’s main entrance – access had previously been via the southern vestibule and the passageway from the neighbouring Altes Museum. |
| 1919–1923: |
The Greek Courtyard is converted into the Egyptian Collection’s Amarna Room. |
| 1929: |
A walkway is created, linking the Neues Museum with the Pergamonmuseum. |
| 1939: |
The various collections are closed to the public and many of the artefacts removed for safe storage. The Egyptian Collection’s objects, many of which are heavy and difficult to transport, remain in the building. Measures to seal them off with bricks and sandbags are hoped to protect them from the expected bombardment. |
| 1943–1945: |
Incendiary devices and explosive bombs cause severe damage to the building and to the objects stored within. |
| Ab 1950: |
Several ruined parts of the building are torn down. |
| 1985: |
Work commences on developing a technological process to replace the foundations and safeguard the partial ruins of the structure. |
| 1997: |
David Chipperfield is awarded the task of planning the reconstruction of the Neues Museum. |
| 1999: |
The Museum Island Berlin is declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is agreed that all subsequent renovation work is to be geared towards an overall concept, the Museum Island Masterplan, devised by the various planners of the individual buildings on the island. |
| 2003: |
Work commences on the reconstruction of the Neues Museum. |
| 21. September 2007: |
The topping out ceremony is held. |
| 5. März 2009: |
5 March 2009: The keys to the Neues Museum are handed over to Michael Eissenhauer, General Director of the National Museums in Berlin. |
| 16. Oktober 2009: |
A grand ceremony is held to mark the reopening of the Neues Museum. |
