Pergamon-Panorama, Panoramic painting in Mitte, Berlin, Germany
The Pergamon-Panorama is a panoramic painting by Yadegar Asisi, 98.65 metres wide and 23.05 metres high, hung in a rotunda on the Museumsinsel. It shows Pergamon on 8 April 129 AD, the day of Hadrian's visit: the hilltop temple with its columns, a scaffolded building, red-curtained arches above the tiered theatre, and a colonnaded hall on the right. Asisi painted the night glow by hand.
Yadegar Asisi's panorama was shown on Berlin's Museumsinsel from September 2011 to September 2012, drawing over 1.5 million visitors. It depicts Pergamon as it appeared on 8 April 129 AD, the day Emperor Hadrian visited the city. A revised version has been on view since November 2018 in the temporary building "Pergamonmuseum. Das Panorama"; since March 2023 a copy is displayed in the Gasometer Pforzheim.
The panorama was made with the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin and shown with finds from the Pergamon excavations, many presented for the first time. The scene is set on 8 April 129 AD, the day Emperor Hadrian visited the city. Asisi chose a viewpoint 25 metres up on the western slope above the Attaleion, a spot no ancient resident could reach.
Visitors view the painting from a central tower that rises five stories high and offers views of the entire scene from all angles. Light and sound effects play during the visit to simulate the passage of a complete day across the depicted city.
The polyester canvas reveals the ancient altar structure in its original urban setting, surrounded by temples and theaters as they once stood. This reconstruction helps visitors understand how the famous monument fit into the city's layout and daily life.
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