Museums
Berlin has a vast array of museums. Most museums charge admission for people aged 16 or older - usually €6 to €8 (only available is a day ticket with which one can also visit the other state museums - except special exhibitions) for the big museums, discounts (usually 50%) are available for students and disabled people with identification. However, the state-run museums grant free entrance four hours before closing every Thursday. A nice offer for museum addicts is the three day pass for €15 (reduced €7.50), which grants entrance to all the normal exhibitions of the appr. 50 state run museums. Note that most museums are closed on Mondays!
The main museums are:
Museuminsel Literally "Museum Island", this area is best known for the vast Pergamonmuseum, which houses an extensive collection of ancient Greek, ancient Middle-Eastern and Islamic art and architecture. Other museums which belong to the Museum Island are the Altes Museum (with the Egyptian and the antique collection), the Alte Nationalgalerie (with mainly German paintings of the 19th century) and the recently reopened (October 2006) Bodemuseum with its fantastically presented sculpture collection and Byzantine art. The Neues Museum is under restoration and will open in 2009, it will harbour the Egyptian collection then.
Deutsches Historisches Museum, Unter den Linden 2, tel. 20 30 40, German historical museum coverung everything from pre-history right up to the present day. One can spend many, many hours here!
Jüdisches Museum, Lindenstraße 9-14, tel. +39 30 25993 300, 10AM-8PM. Jewish Museum. Learn about the history of jews in Berlin. Exhibitions of art and impressive modern architecture by Liebeskind. There is a small unrelated Jewish Museum at the Uranienburg Synagogue.
Information center at the memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Holocaust museum at the impressive Holocaust memorial near the Brandenburg gate, entrance free, usually a long line.
Gemäldegalerie, Matthäikirchplatz, tel. 266 2951. At the Kulturforum. Thousands of European paintings from the 13th to the 18th century. Works from Dürer, Raffael, Tizian, Caravaggio, Rembrandt and Rubens.
Neue Nationalgalerie, Potsdamer Straße 50, tel. 266 2951. At the Kulturforum. Art from the 20th Century. This museum often houses temporary exhibitions during which the permanent collection is usually not on display.
Hamburger Bahnhof, Invalidenstraße 50-51, tel. 3978 3439. Near the mail railway station. Berlin's biggest museum of contemporary art.
Museum für Naturkunde. Near the main railway station. Natural science museum with a big collection of dinosaur skeletons, fossils and minerals. Opened, but under restoration (some pieces are not shown) till summer 2007.
Deutsches Technikmuseum, Trebbiner Straße 9. Museum for science and technology with many interesting objects, very interactive.
Museum of Musical Instruments.
Film Museum, Near the Kulturforum.
Berlinische Galerie, Alte Jakobstraße 124-128. Collection of modern art from the first half of the 20th Century, related in any way to Berlin, nicely organized and well selected. It also houses contemporary exhibitions.
Museum für Fotografie, Jebenstrasse 2 (just out the Zoologischer Garten Bahnhof). This museum is dedicated to Helmut Newton and usually hosts a part of his works in a temporary exibition.
Mauermuseum at Checkpoint Charlie. This museum is situated at the most famous historical checkpoint between the two Germanies.
Deutsche Guggenheim, Unter den Linden 13-15 (U6 Franzoische Strasse), tel. 030 20 20 93. Compared to New York, Bilbao and Venezia it is a relatively small exhibition place. It usually hosts a temporary exibition and is free on Monday, with a free guided tour starting at 6PM. Since the place is small and the name "Guggenheim" a very famous one, the place is often very crowded.
Museum Scharf-Gerstenberg. A museum dedicated to surrealist art. Will be reopened near Charlottenburg Palace in 2008.
Museum Bröhan. Dedicated to Art Nouveau applied art. Near Charlottenburg Palace.
Museum of Prehistoty and Early History at the Charlottenburg Palace. Best known for its Trojan collection excavated by the famous discoveror of Troy, Schliemann.
Museum Berggruen near Charlootenburg Palace. It houses a collection of modern art including Matisse and Picaso.
Museum of European Cultures The biggest of its sort in Europe. At the museum district of Dahlem.
Ethnological Museum Again one of the world's most comprehensive ones. At the museum district of Dahlem. Well worth a visit for its splendid collection of Pre-Columbian archeology! It now includes the:
Museum of Asian Art Includes East Asian as well as Indian sections.
Martin-Gropius-House, Mostly temporary exhibitions.
Bauhaus Museum.
Brücke Museum, [http:www.bruecke-museum.de) A museum dedicated to the Berlin artistic school of expressionism called the Brücke (the Bridge) and located in Dahlem.
Kolbe Museum. A small collection of German sculptures from the first half of the 20th Century and a nice sculpture garden.
Zille Museum. A museum dedicated to the Berlin artist.
Kollwitz Museum. A museum dedicated to the Berlin artist.
Museum of Applied Arts divided between two sites - the Culture Forum (together with the Picture Gallery) and Koepenick Castle.
Anti-War Museum.
The Story of Berlin. A museum documenting Berlin's history. You can also visit an underground bunker with place for more than 3000 people.
German-Russian Museum. This museum describes the history of German-Russian relations around WWII. All signs are in German and Russian only!
Topography of Terror. This open-air museum documents the terror applied by the Nazi regime. It consists of excavated prison cells located directly under a remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall.
DDR Museum. A museum dedicated to every day life at the DDR time.
Museum of Forbidden Art. A special museum situated on a guard tower on the historical Berlin Wall (closed now, reopening questionable).
Documentation Centre of the Berlin Wall.
Stasi (Secret Police) Museum. This museum describes the procedures applied by the DDR secret police and the local resistment. You can even walk through the former office of the director! A very interersting museum but most signs are in German only.
Allied Museum This museum in Dahlem documents the aerial train during the Cold War.
House of the Wannsee Conference The house in which the Final Solution was decided on.
Märkisches Museum Museum of Berlin's history
Private art galleries
As Berlin is a city of art, it is quite easy to find an art gallery on your way. They provide a nice opportunity to have a look at modern artists' work in a not so crowded environment for free. Some gallery streets with more than about a dozen galleries are Auguststrasse, Linienstrasse, Torstrasse, Brunnenstrasse (all Mitte, north of S-Bahn station Oranienburger Strasse) and Fasanenstrasse (Charlottenburg).
Art Center Berlin Friedrichstraße, Friedrichstraße 134, tel. 030 27 87 90 20. Four floors of exibitions with a relatively good variety of genres and artists. A very nice oasis of calm from the busy Friedrichstrasse.
Galerie Eigen & Art, Auguststrasse 26, tel. +49.30.280 6605. One of the most famous german art galleries, home to the Neue Leipziger Schule (Neo Rauch et al.)
Churches
As Berlin wasn't a very important town until the 17th century (and then it already became a protestant city), there are no really great churches in the city. However, there are some historically interesting and architecturally remarkable churches which are the following.
Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche Highly symbolic church, dating back to 1891-95, with two completely new buildings aside the ruins of the World War II.
Marienkirche Located near Alexanderplatz, this is not only the highest church tower in Berlin (90 m), but also one of the oldest churches left in the historical center of Berlin (which is totally teared down in this area). Entrance is free and inside are many treasures from the old days.
Nikolaikirche The oldest church in Berlin, dating back to the beginning of 13th century (at least the stones next to the ground). Changing exhibitions inside, entrance free.
St. Hedwigs Kathedrale Domed Church located at Bebelplatz/Unter den Linden, the oldest (mid 18th century) and one of the biggest catholic churches in Berlin, interior was redesigned in a modern style in the 1950s - but still many treasure chambers in the basement.
Berliner Dom Easily the biggest and most impressive church, built at the turn of the century (19th/20th) as an expression of imperial power. Located next to the museum island. Entrance 5 Euro, you can climb on top of the dome (beautiful view over the Berlin center) then.
Friedrichswerdersche Kirche Nice church located near Unter den Linden/Museum Island, finished 1830 by Schinkel - english neogothic style. Nice Exhibition inside (neoclassical statues and an exhibition about Schinkel's life and work upstairs), entrance free!
Landmarks with observation decks
While Berlin has relatively few high-rise buildings, there are several monuments with observation decks. Probably the most famous of all is the TV Tower near Alexanderplatz, the tallest tower in Germany and second largest in Europe, which has a rotating café at the top spinning 360 degrees in just 30 minutes! 40 seconds is all it takes to reach the top by lift. But there are also other great observation desks, the main ones are listed below (for others have a look in the district pages).
Reichstag. The German parliament near the Brandenburg gate building has a large glass construction on top with a great view of Berlin. Be prepared for long lines and an extensive security check. Free entrance.
Berliner Funkturm. 150 meter high lattice tower, with open-air observation deck 124 meter above ground. Only observation tower on insulators! Located in the Western fair district, out of city center.
Berliner Fernsehturm, Alexanderplatz. The TV tower is Germany's tallest construction: 368 meters high. Observation deck 204 metres above ground. Costs €8,50 as of May 2007.
Siegessäule (Victory Column), Tiergarten. An old (1865-1873), 60 meters high monument with panoramic view in the very center of the city. Unfortunately no elevator so be prepared for 285 steps. The statue of Victoria on the top is the place where the angels congregate in the famous film "Der Himmel über Berlin" by Wim Wenders. It has also become something of a symbol for the annual Love Parade techno music festival.
Kollhoff Tower, Potsdamer Platz. The fastest elevator in Europe takes you appr. 100 metres high.
Europa Center, Zoologisher Garten. Shopping center with a panorama floor at the 20th floor (90 meters). In Budapesterstrasse, overlooking Kaiser-Wilhelm-Memorial Church. Entrance is €4 or €2 if you show a receipt from one of the restaurants in the Europa Center.
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