On the theme of the Long Night, “Crime in Berlin”, we are showing traces of crime and the justice system in the art collection’s depot, the architectural models display depot, the library and the reading room. The Picture Cellar and the rooftop bar with a view of the Brandenburg Gate are also open.

Tickets

At this year’s Long Night of Museums, themed “Crime in Berlin”, visitors to the Akademie building on Pariser Platz can look forward to a range of guided tours offering a glimpse behind the scenes.

The art collection’s underground depot will showcase which crimes have been immortalised in paintings and which paintings have themselves fallen victim to crime. The display depot offers a special insight into the outstanding collection of architectural models. Traces of crime and the justice system are also to be found there. The library focuses on historical criminal cases and Berlin prisons, and in the reading room, visitors can view hidden stories and almost forgotten writings from the Archives of the Akademie der Künste.

The Picture Cellar, with its unique examples of post-war modernist art from the GDR, is also open. And, of course, we warmly invite you once again to visit our bar on the rooftop terrace, which offers a spectacular view of the Brandenburg Gate.

Openings

6 pm – 2 am: Roof terrace with a view of the Brandenburg Gate

We cordially invite you to visit the roof terrace with its stunning view of the Brandenburg Gate.

6 pm – 2 am: Picture Cellar

A maximum of 15 people can be in the Picture Cellar at any one time.
A series of decorations were created in the boiler room of the Akademie building for two carnival celebrations in 1957 and 1958. The paintings by the master students of the time, including Manfred Böttcher, Harald Metzkes, Ernst Schroeder, Werner Stötzer and Horst Zickelbein, are today unique testimonies to the artistic post-war modernism of the GDR.

6–11 pm: Reading room

The trace leads to the reading room: The Academy Archives are considered the most important interdisciplinary archives for modernist art and culture in German-speaking countries. Discover hidden stories and nearly forgotten writings. Let yourself be inspired!

Guided Tours

All tours are first come, first served. Registration and issue of tickets on site in the foyer. All tours in German language. For guided tours of the collections, bags must be locked in the lockers on the 1st floor in good time before the start.

6:15, 7:15, 8:15 pm: Collection‘s depot rooms of the Art Collection

Duration ca. 45 min., max. 15 people
Murder and manslaughter are to be found in many places, among them the Art Collection of the Academy of Art. As part of a guided tour we descend into the underground maze of depots and take a closer look at crime scenes depicted on paintings as well as artworks that themselves became victims to various crimes.

6:45, 7:45 pm: Visible storage of architectural models

Duration ca. 30–40 min., max. 23 people
Get a glimpse “behind the scenes“ of the archives: In the visible storage you will gain an exclusive insight into the Akademie der Künste's outstanding collection of architectural models. The collection focuses on the 20th century. Additionally, we are looking for clues related to the topic of crime and justice in our architectural archives.

7, 8, 9, 10 pm: Library

Duration ca. 40 min., max. 20 people
Discover the criminal highlights of the art library: a murder mystery by Bertolt Brecht and Walter Benjamin, adapted into a comic book; a historical criminal case from 1945–46; Berlin prisons; the case of a Turkish guest worker in 1970s Berlin – and one of the largest interdisciplinary art libraries of the modern era.

Website – Long Night of the Museums

Long Night of Museums29 Aug 2026, 6 pm – 30 Aug 2026, 2 am