The Pergamon Museum houses re-constructed antique monuments such as the Pergamon Altar, the Market Gate of Miletus, and the Ishtar Gate - entire walls and facades transported from the original excavation sites some time in Europe's imperial history from third world countries that would actually quite like to have them back. The museum is subdivided into the antiquity collection, the Middle East, and the museum of Islamic art. It is has around 850,000 visitors every year, making it the most visited art museum in Germany. Most major international archeological exhibitions find their way here one way or another.

The Pergamon Museum was severely damaged during an air attack at the end of the Second World War. Many of the display objects were stored in safe places, while some of the large pieces were walled in for protection. In 1945, the Red Army collected all of the loose museum items but it wasn’t until 1958 that most of the objects were returned to East Germany. Significant parts of the collection remain in Russia.