“Germany now is in the process of transforming the five neoclassical museums that are clustered on an island in the Spree River in Berlin into a cultural center to rival Paris’ Louvre and London’s British Museum. The complex eventually will unite collections of Greek and Roman antiquities, Egyptian artifacts, 19th century paintings, Byzantine art and Near Eastern antiquities long scattered by last century’s wars and political divisions. While construction has been underway for five years, Berlin’s financial woes have discouraged anyone from predicting completion.”