Discovering Schinkel, courtesy of Kunstwege Berlin

On a sunny Sunday, two weeks ago, I was invited by Kunstwege Berlin to take part to a tour of Schinkel's works in the capital city. It started at Friedrichswerdersche and ended one hour after, at the Museum Insel with the works of his disciples at Altenationalgalerie and Neues Museum. Through a simple yet insightful approach of both Schinkel's biography and works and the less or more recent history of Berlin, Leslie, our guide, turned the tour into a very interesting intellectual experience. The funny part of the story is that we also had the proper musical background as in the front of Humboldt University, a classical open air concert was taking place during the tour.

Many of Schinkel's architectural works are located in Berlin, but due to the war, there were mostly rebuilt, especially in the last decades after the reunification of the city. The English influences in his architecture can be read in many of his works, including the Bauakademie, built in 1830, where the 'master' wanted to have his own office. A former governmental building during the DDR times, the building hosts nowadays various art performances and exhibitions and has in its front a Schinkel square. Nowadays, only one original corner is left.

The bridge with its 8 sculptures is considered one of the most expensive of his works, part of a wider plan to give to Berlin at least the same glamour as Paris. Almost all Schinkel's idea were in fact expensive. In other words, don't try to be too cheap with an official architect.

Simplicity and glamour. The display of power.

The pupils can b e better than the master. One of my favourite museums on the Museum Insel were designed by Schinkel's disciples.

Reading and learning from art books is an interesting experience, but what it matters always is the guidance of the expert. This guided tour brought me close to the epoch and the personality of the architect and I plan to go to a new tour soon.

The next one will be in one week from now, the 7th of July, at Bruecke Museum.