Topographie des Terrors, Museum

Topographie des Terrors

Top choice in Historic Mitte


In the spot where the most feared institutions of Nazi Germany (including the Gestapo headquarters and the SS central command) once stood, this compelling exhibit chronicles the stages of terror and persecution, puts a face on the perpetrators and details the impact these brutal institutions had on all of Europe. A second exhibit outside zeroes in on how life changed for Berlin and its people after the Nazis made it their capital.

To complement the exhibits, a self-guided tour of the historic grounds takes you past 15 information stations with photos, documents, and 3D graphics, as well as a 200m stretch of the Berlin Wall. Admission is free.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Historic Mitte attractions

1. Martin-Gropius-Bau

0.08 MILES

With its mosaics, terracotta reliefs and airy atrium, this Italian Renaissance–style exhibit space named for its architect (Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius…

2. Former Reichsluftfahrtministerium

0.16 MILES

Designed by Ernst Sagebiel in 1935 and ’36, this behemoth was not only Hermann Göring’s power centre but also where the resistance group ‘Red Orchestra’…

3. Watchtower Erna-Berger-Strasse

0.21 MILES

Imagine what it was like to be a Berlin Wall border guard when climbing up the iron ladder of one of the few remaining watchtowers. The octagonal…

4. Deutsches Spionage Museum

0.24 MILES

High-tech and interactive, this private museum not only documents the evolution of spying from ancient Egypt to the 20th century, it also displays…

5. Trabi Museum

0.25 MILES

If you were lucky enough to own a car in East Germany, it would most likely have been a Trabant (Trabi in short), a tinny two-stroker whose name (…

6. Hansa Studios

0.27 MILES

Complete this analogy: London is to Abbey Road as Berlin is to…Well? Hansa Studios, of course, that seminal recording studio that has exerted a…

7. Dalí – Die Ausstellung

0.28 MILES

If you only know Salvador Dalí as the painter of melting watches, burning giraffes and other surrealist imagery, this private collection will likely open…

8. Museum für Kommunikation Berlin

0.28 MILES

Three cheeky robots welcome you to this elegant, neo-baroque museum, which takes you on an entertaining romp through the evolution of communication, from…