The Bode Museum (formerly called "Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum), is a building on the Museum Island. It was built from 1898 to 1904 by order of German Emperor William II according to plans by Ernst von Ihne in Baroque Revival style.

During WWII the building suffered comparatively the least damage on Museum Island, but it was not until 1951 that it received a temporary roof. After the end of the war, the new Berlin city administration had all references to former rulers removed and in 1956, Johannes R. Becher, then Minister of Culture of the GDR, ceremoniously renamed the Kaiser Friedrich Museum the Bode Museum.

As part of the Museum Island complex, the Bode-Museum was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999.


Tilman Riemenschneider (1460 - 1531)

Evangelist John (detail) / Münnerstadt / 1490-92

During the German Peasants' War, Riemenschneider was one of the town council members who refused to obey an order by Konrad von Thüngen, the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg to fight the revolting peasants. In 1525, the peasant's army was destroyed, with 8,000 killed. Riemenschneider, was incarcerated and tortured. He was set free after two months, with loss of most of his property. The resentful authorities ensured that Tilman Riemenschneider lost his job and was soon forgotten. After his release, he never received another major commission.