Carne vale
Although the carnival period doesn't begin until the middle of February, in Berlin we will already be able to celebrate the "farewell to meat" - the carne vale - on 31st January: during the 15th Lange Nacht der Museen, colourful carnival activities in the Venetian style will take place at the Kulturforum, including Commedia dell'Arte, music, dance and juggling. Visitors to the museum night are expected to appear in brightly-coloured masks and costumes, or they will have an opportunity to make and buy these on the spot!
A total of 80 Berlin museums and institutions are again inviting the public to explore their exhibitions, collections and installations at night, from 6 pm to 2 am. As has become the tradition for our winter museum event, it will be mainly museums in the inner city area that open until late.
And even after seven years, there are some institutions which are taking part in a Lange Nacht for the first time: as well as the plaster-casting works of the state museums in Charlottenburg and Tempelhof Museum, these include St. Elisabeth Church and the Shell-House - two outstanding architectural monuments. The Ceramics Museum, the recently reopened Heimatmuseum Wedding and the Miniature Museum Arikalex are presenting their new premises, the German Museum of Technology Berlin is showing its new permanent exhibition "Lebenswelt Schiff" and the Berlinische Galerie will be introducing the public to its new museum premises.
Despite the winter temperatures, some institutions are offering events in conjunction with the "Cultural Year" topic of 2004 - "Landscape, Parks and Gardens"; in the Neue Nationalgalerie, visitors can get in the mood for the big MoMa exhibition - and in the Museum of Ethnology they can say farewell to the Indian god Ganesha; artists' performances and readings by authors, concerts and films, guided tours and workshops are all on the night's programme, as well as a large number of activities for children!
The combination ticket priced 12 €, reduced rate 8 € - entrance is free for children under 12 - entitles the holder to visit the participating museums and exhibitions and to use the bus shuttles and public transport in the tariff area ABC.
Detailed programme leaflets will be available in Berlin museums and at the MD Berlin from the middle of January, and news and archives can be found under www.lange-nacht-der-museen.de, where it is also possible to access the Internet portal "Museumsnächte in Deutschland", our colleagues on the MD Infoline are available daily under 030 - 28397 444 (Mon - Fri 9am - 4pm, Sat, Sun 9am - 1pm, and on 31.1. up until midnight) for the price of a local call.
The Lange Nacht in brief
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around 80 institutions are taking part in the 15th Lange Nacht, including 6 newcomers
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Tickets:
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the combination ticket priced 12 €, reduced rate 8 €, entitles the holder to visit the participating institutions and use the bus shuttles and public transport in the tariff area ABC
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advance sales in the participating museums, at all theatre sales offices, the customer centre of the Berliner Zeitung, in Tourist Info Centres and at the MD Berlin
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available on the night at the sales desks in front of Berlin Town Hall and in the participating museums
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The sales desks and the MD Berlin info-stand in front of Berlin Town Hall open at 4 pm
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Opening event at 6 pm on the square in front of Berlin Town Hall
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7 bus shuttle routes are in service from 6 pm to 2 am - 6 of these start and end in front of the Town Hall, one at Schloss Charlottenburg
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the two regular (museum) bus routes 148 and 348 will be running throughout the night at 20 minute intervals
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travel time on the underground U1 from Wittenbergplatz to the museums in Dahlem (Dahlem-Dorf) is 14 minutes
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283 97 444 - the colleagues on the MD Infoline are available from 9am to midnight on 31st January to answer any questions about the Lange Nacht - in English as well!
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www.lange-nacht-der-museen.de offers the current programme and - under "Meine Lange Nacht" - the possibility to put together and print out an individual programme for the night
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the next Lange Nacht der Museen in Berlin is planned for 28th August 2004
