Abteiberg

Museum Abteiberg, Mönchengladbach

The Abteiberg is a hill next to the city centre of Mönchengladbach, Germany, which received its name when the Münster St. Vitus was built on top. Visiting the Abteiberg can also mean to visit the Städtisches Museum Abteiberg not far away from the church – which I recommend. It is a museum with interesting modern architecture and a lot of modern art within. It was founded somewhen between 1901 and 1904, the current building is in use since 1982. It is one of the most important museums for contemporary in Germany and has a focus on works of the 20th and 21st century.

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Museum Morsbroich

Museum Morsbroich, Leverkusen

The Museum Morsbroich is a museum for contemporary art in Leverkusen, Germany. It is located within the baroque castle Schloss Morsbroich from the year 1389 – later belonging to the German Order. The castle is beautiful and around it, you can find an English landscape garden. The museum was founded in 1951 as the first German museum for contemporary art after World War II. I didn’t know what to expect when coming here, but it really was worth a visit. When I came there an exhibition of Belgian photographer Francis Alÿs was presented there.

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National museum

National museum of Archaeology, Dublin

If you like to learn something about the past you’ve got many good options in Dublin, Ireland. The capital city is rich of national museums which don’t charge an entrance fee and it’s worth to have a look into all of them. The National Museum of Ireland has an archaeological section in Kildare street where you also can learn about the influence of the Vikings. Many ancient treasures of all ages are on display.

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The Art of Making Books

Chester Beatty Library, Dublin

The US-American industrial Sir Alfred Chester Beatty had an interesting hobby: how collected old books, book fragments and papyri. His collection is today on display in the Chester Beatty Library at Dublin, Ireland – located within Dublin castle. The very well-designed and modern museum dates back to the year 1950 and contains many beautiful and important books from all around the world. Most of them are religious, some secularistic.

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Glasnevin

Glasnevin cemetery, Dublin

It sounds a bit strange but I really love to visit cemeteries. Sometimes they have a fantastic atmosphere like the Cimetière du Père Lachaise in Paris, France or the special local burial traditions are fascinating like at the Cementerio Cristóbal Colón in La Habana, Cuba. And often they are the starting point for interesting stories. The most beautiful graveyard of Dublin, Ireland is Glasnevin; here you can find a mix of all religions and the typical Irish combination of Catholic crosses and pagan symbols.

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Kilmainham Goal

Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin

The most important sight at Dublin, Ireland – and all tourist guides and guide books share this view – is a jail. Kilmainham Goal is a typical jail of the Victorian era located in the city quarter Kilmainham in the west of the city. It was built in 1796 and plays an important role in the history of Ireland: when in 1916 the Easter Rising happened and Irish rebels fought against British occupation, this was the place the caught fighters were brought to. The Easter Rising was unsuccessful, the rebels were executed in Kilmainham Goal – but their goal was partially achieved in 1922 when Ireland became a free state.

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Irish Museum of Modern Art

National museum of modern art, Dublin

When you search for the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) at Dublin, Ireland you’ll have to walk through a residential zone in the city quarter Kilmainham. A road winds slowly up the hill towards the old Royal Hospital. A sign tells dog owners where they can enjoy a walk with and train their dogs. And when you’re standing in front of the ancient hospital building you still don’t have a clue what to find inside.

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National gallery

Galeria Kombëtare e Kosovës, Prishtinë

Every capital city in the world needs a national gallery – that’s also true for Prishtinë, Kosovo: the Galeria Kombëtare e Kosovës is located in a rather small building (which is very modern inside) which was built in 1935 as a barrack of the Yugoslavian army. The museum exists since 1976 and the building is now mostly used for changing exhibitions of contemporary local and international artists. Even if the state Kosovo is still young there is already a long history of regional artists.

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Museum of Kosovo

Muzeu i Kosovës, Prishtinë

The Muzeu i Kosovës at Prishtinë, Kosovo is a must-see if your interested in the ancient or younger history of this region. It is located in a nice former military building from 1889 in Austro-Hungarian style in the old city center. The museum dates back to the year 1949 and has two floors: on the lower one you can see an archeological exhibition with the queen on the throne (Mbretëresha në fron) as a highlight – which dates back to the New Stone Age. The upper floor contains items of the Kosovo war.

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