The only building on Pariser Platz with a glass facade, the Academy of Arts was designed by Günter Behnisch and is the successor to Berlin’s oldest cultural institution, the Prussian Academy of Arts, founded in 1696 by Prussian duke Friedrich III (who later became King Friedrich I). It presents a varied program of readings, lectures, workshops and exhibits, many of them free.
In the former coal cellar, murals created by master artists of the academy in the late 1950s can be seen on guided tours at 6pm on Wednesday (adult/concession €6/4).
