What is the primary role of the Academy of Arts?

The Academy of Arts is a German state institution responsible for promoting artistic work and providing counsel and support to the federal states.

Where is the Academy of Arts located?

The institution stands on Pariser Platz next to Hotel Adlon, occupying the historic location of Palais Arnim.

Can students earn a university degree at the Academy of Arts?

Degree studies are not offered here. The educational branch split off to become the independent Berlin University of the Arts.

How was the Academy of Arts organized during the division of Germany?

Separate successor institutions operated in East Berlin and West Berlin. The western body was based in the Hansaviertel district, while the eastern body operated in East Berlin under figures such as Arnold Zweig and Heiner Müller, before the institutions reunited at Pariser Platz.

Which site did the academy occupy before relocating to Pariser Platz?

The institution previously occupied premises on Unter den Linden before that parcel was cleared to construct the Berlin State Library.

Berlin · Germany

Academy of Arts, Berlin: what's nearby, how to get there and when to go · 2026

Scholars settling in for long projects split their routines between exhibitions at Pariser Platz and quiet archival reading rooms in the Hansaviertel.

Academy of Arts, Berlin · CC BY-SA 4.0

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About the place

The academy functions as an advisory arts council and learned society for the public.

Hohenzollern elector Frederick established the original society as a royal arts council, creating one of the earliest academies in Europe. Quarters on Unter den Linden were later cleared for the State Library, shifting the institution to Palais Arnim on Pariser Platz. Early educational work included architectural instruction at the Bauakademie until that wing detached to become the Universität der Künste Berlin.

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Albert Speer requisitioned the main building for urban redevelopment plans, forcing a temporary move to the Kronprinzenpalais before operations ceased. Postwar division split the membership into separate institutions. The western body under Hans Scharoun settled in the rebuilt Hansaviertel, while the eastern organization operated under presidents like Arnold Zweig and Heiner Müller before both halves reunited at Pariser Platz.

Associations

Pariser PlatzHouses the reunited headquarters adjacent to Hotel Adlon.
HansaviertelHosts the modernist postwar premises developed under Hans Scharoun.
BauakademieBegan as an architectural training affiliate before separation.
Wartime expropriationAlbert Speer seized the central facilities for urban redevelopment.

Facts

The academy was originally established under the authority of Elector Frederick.
Architect Hans Scharoun served as president of the western successor institution in the Hansaviertel.
The institution advises and supports the states of Germany on cultural policy.
The historic teaching arm developed into the present Universität der Künste Berlin.

Updated September 9, 2026Source: Wikipedia

Academy of Arts, Berlin: what's nearby, how to get there and when to go · 2026

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The academy functions as an advisory arts council and learned society for the public.

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