BERLIN.- The restoration of the Neues Museum has sparked a debate of conflicting opinions like no other building on the Museum Island Berlin. Gradually however, even critics are beginning to praise the high quality and consistency of the conceptual design of the project's architect David Chipperfield and his team, who, after all, are adhering to the concept of ‘historical honesty'. But what exactly do they mean by that? On one level, by becoming a Museum of Egyptology and of Prehistory and Early History, the building - which has been a war ruin ever since the end of the Second World War - will reclaim its function after a lapse of 70 years. Moreover, the building itself will uniquely become an exhibit in its own right, one which will make it perfectly clear to visitors which construction materials originate from the time it was first founded, and which parts had to be added due to the ravishes of war and exposure to the weather. Through the renovations of the 21st century, the construction from the mid 19th century has now taken on a quite unmistakable character which invites the observer to follow the traces of the past, thus turning him or her into an architectural archaeologist. Visitors will have the chance to view the building themselves during the Heritage Open Days from 6 to 8 March.