The Neues Museum in Berlin, Germany has officially opened its doors for the first time in 70 years after a 212m euro (£192m) redevelopment project.

The museum, which originally opened in 1855, was closed at the outbreak of World War II in 1939 and was subsequently damaged by bombing raids.

British architect David Chipperfield’s refurbishment involved the reworking of the exhibition spaces, with modern design replacing the parts of the interior that were lost, incorporating fluted stone columns and faux-Egyptian painted ceilings that survived.

The 8,000sq m of exhibition space is spread over four levels and displays nearly 9,000 objects, sharing them as it does with Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection and the Museum for Pre and Early History.

The building is located on Berlin's Museum Island and for the first time since the war all five of its institutions are open to the public.

The renovated Atle Nationalgalerie opened in 2001, followed in 2006 by the Bode-Museum. Renovation and extension plans are currently being prepared for the Pergamonmuseum, with a 15-year construction programme scheduled to begin in 2013. Refurbishment of the Altes Museum is also set to begin.