Berlin’s Hamburger Bahnhof is a Neoclassic Train Station Transformed Into a Modern Art Museum

The <a title="Berlin's Hamburger Bahnhof is a Neoclassic Train Station Turned Into Neon-Lightened Art Museum " href="http://www.hamburgerbahnhof.de/text.php" target="_blank">Hamburger Bahnhof</a> is a brilliant Museum of Contemporary Art in Berlin housed in a renovated train station. Reconstructed by architect <a title="Berlin's Hamburger Bahnhof is a Neoclassic Train Station Turned Into Neon-Lightened Art Museum " href="http://www.kleihues.com/" target="_blank">Josef Paul Kleihues</a> and re-opened in 1996, the art museum -- "Museum für Gegenwart" -- is set within an impressive Neoclassical façade flanked by two towers. A grand industrial hall serves as the main exhibition space, where a brilliant blue and green neon light installation by <a title="Berlin's Hamburger Bahnhof is a Neoclassic Train Station Turned Into Neon-Lightened Art Museum " href="http://flavin.pulitzerarts.org/#/home/" target="_blank">Dan Flavin</a> is currently set.

The original building dates back to the mid 19th century and features grand windows and skylights set amidst curvy steel beams.

Walking along the corridors, visitors can experience how the station was back in the old days.

On the inside and the outside, <a title="Berlin's Hamburger Bahnhof is a Neoclassic Train Station Turned Into Neon-Lightened Art Museum " href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Flavin" target="_blank">Dan Flavin</a>'s neon lights brighten up the neo-classical building. 

Two new wings are set along the building's sides. They showcase multidisciplinary works like the <a title="Berlin's Hamburger Bahnhof is a Neoclassic Train Station Turned Into Neon-Lightened Art Museum " href="http://www.hamburgerbahnhof.de/exhibition.php?lang=de&amp;id=36493" target="_blank">Architektonika 2</a> exhibition.

Sculptor and architect Marjetica Potrc exanimated how people build their own shelters and the structures of the so-called "informal" urban areas in Caracas.

"Skyspaces" by James Turrel is a recycled materials structure -- or "Sky observatories" -- for people to experience natural or artificial light.

"The Marx Collection" exposes works from five major personalities of late 20th century art: Joseph Beuys, Anselm Kiefer, Robert Rauschenberg, Cy Twombly, and Andy Warhol, all lighted by plenty of natural light.

One particularly dazzling exhibition is NYC-based artist <a title="Berlin's Hamburger Bahnhof is a Neoclassic Train Station Turned Into Neon-Lightened Art Museum " href="http://inhabitat.com/visitors-can-bask-in-the-glow-of-anthony-mccalls-light-beam-sculptures/" target="_blank">Anthony McCall</a>'s "Five Minutes of Pure Sculpture", which allows visitors to step into beams of light and change their appearance.