What’s New in Germany and the Netherlands for 2019

by Rick Steves, February 27, 2019

Germany is famously a work in progress — as is the nearby Netherlands — and that includes their sightseeing attractions. In 2019, there’s good news and a few important warnings for the smart traveler.

To handle its ever-increasing number of visitors, Germany is busy renovating sights and transportation, beefing up security, and updating ticketing procedures for big attractions. For instance, in Berlin, advance tickets are now recommended for the DDR Museum, with displays about life in the former East Germany. The Museum Pass Berlin, which covers a number of top sights and lets travelers avoid long lines, now includes my favorite museum in town: the German History Museum.

While Berlin’s famous Pergamon Altar (usually on display in the Pergamon Museum) is being restored, you can still see bits of it at a nearby temporary exhibit called “Pergamonmuseum — Das Panorama.” The exhibit features a huge, wraparound painting of the city of Pergamon in AD 129, some original sculptures from the altar, the largest piece of the altar frieze, and digital 3-D models.

At Munich’s Residenz Museum, the Halls of the Nibelungen (Nibelungensäle) — with mythological scenes that were the basis of Wagner’s Ring des Nibelungen — have reopened after a 10-year renovation. Also in Munich, the Alte Pinakothek, a world-class collection of European masterpieces from the 14th to 19th

Article source: https://www.luxurytraveladvisor.com/destinations/what-s-new-germany-and-netherlands-for-2019