The Reichstag
Following German reunification in 1990, the Bundestag (German Federal Parliament) decided to make the Reichstag building the seat of Parliament in Berlin, the restored capital of reunited Germany. After a complete restoration of Paul Wallot’s original 1894 building, the Bundestag reconvened here in Sir Norman Foster’s spectacularly restored Reichstag building on 19th April 1999.
A visit to the Reichstag is a must, a highlight includes the lift ride to the top of the building to a large viewing terrace for the breath-taking views of Tiergarten, the dome and the mirror cylinder at the centre. All groups are pre-booked with details of identification sent in advance.
The Story of Berlin
This interactive history exhibition is no ordinary museum, but rather an interactive journey through Berlin’s 800-plus years, complete with light and sound shows. The Story of Berlin organises historical eras by themes as well as by dates, and each section has touch screens, information drawers and a range of presentations.
The “Speed’ segment has sound and video loops of transit innovations, while the section focusing on industrialisation has a vibrating floor like a factory. The darkest period of Germany’s history is not ignored; a special series of rooms show the grim nature of the Third Reich in a though-provoking, conceptual fashion.
Highlights in the multi-level museum include the divided living rooms that give a glimpse into life on each side of the Berlin Wall, and the still-functioning underground nuclear bomb shelter built by the city in the 1970s. Exhibition texts are in English and German and the guided bomb shelter tour (every hour on the hour) is in German and English.
DDR Museum
In a lively, interactive and hands-on fashion, the DDR Museum tells the story of every-day life in the former state, looking “behind the wall” to understand just what it was like to live under Real Existing Socialism. The museum enables the visitor to see, experience and feel the every-day reality behind the façade of the Socialist dictatorship, and find out just what the government tried to keep secret.
There is a lot for the visitor to do, for example, watch television in an authentic GDR living room or sit in original GDR cinema seats to watch original newsreels. Striding through the “bureaucratic smokescreen,” the visitor receives a glimpse into the structures of GDR misrule. Under the watchful eyes of Marx, Engels and Lenin, the Socialist Unity Party of Germany provides the central focus of the exhibition, around which are grouped a number of themes such as the state, economy, the NPA, brother states, ideology, opposition and the Stasi.
Countless interactive media stations and authentic artefacts from the GDR produce a “hands-on experience of history.” Visitors are encouraged to engage with the interactive elements of the exhibition, opening drawers, looking behind doors and pulling levers, thereby making use of all their senses.
German History Museum
Germany’s two thousand year history, as chequered as it is dynamic, is placed in a European context in an exhibition entitled “German History in Pictures and Documents”. More than 8,000 exclusive exhibits, whose historical testimonial value is utterly unique, present a lively, vivid tableau of bygone days. German history is also placed in an international context. The permanent exhibition is supplemented by temporary special exhibitions housed in the modern exhibition building.
Topography of Terror
The site, known since 1987 as the “Topography of Terror”, was the central location from which the Nazis planned and managed most of their crimes. Here, between 1933 and 1945, the most important institutions of the Nazi terror apparatus of the SS and police operated from the Secret State Police Office, the Reich SS Leadership, and the Reich Security Main Office.
Partially destroyed during the war, rendered unrecognisable after the war by demolition and conversion, and eventually forgotten, this historic site was rediscovered in the early 1980s and gradually re-established in the historical memory of Berlin and the Federal Republic of Germany. What had been a partial wasteland in the shadow of the Berlin Wall was ultimately transformed into a centre for the documentation of Nazi crimes.
Guided Tours: For school groups there are two guided tours lasting approximately one hour or a five hour seminar/workshop to make the most of your visit. They are free of charge but must be pre-booked.
- Topography of Terror: Gestapo, SS and Reich Security Main Office on Wilhelm- and Prinz-Albrecht- Straße (an indoor tour)
- The Historic Site “Topography of Terror” (an open air tour)
Berlin’s ‘Unterwelten’ – Berlin from Below
For a fascinating look into Germany’s history during WWII and the Cold War era, Berlin has an elaborate set of multi-purpose underground bunkers built to host a society underground.The former bunker located at the U-Bahn station Gesundbrunnen offers a wealth of information about all the various tunnel systems and subterranean walkways underneath the city on four floors.
The exhibition at Berliner Unterweltene.V.informs about the history and development of the city from a subterranean viewpoint - the bunker systems in Berlin’s subway system, recovered bombs and ammunition stores, and also Berlin’s pneumatic post system, breweries and blind tunnels.Whether through bunkers, flak towers or dark and murky U-Bahn shafts – there are various tours for school classes to discover the Berlin underground world.Guided and highly informative museum tours include ‘Dark Worlds’ (DunkleWelten), ‘From Flak Tower to Rubble’ (VomFlakturmzumTrümmerberg), ‘U-Bahn, Bunker and Cold War’ (U-Bahn, Bunker und Kalter Krieg) and ‘Breaking the Wall’ (Mauerdurchbrüche) with unusual insights into Berlin’s ‘underworld’.Choose from the either of the following tours: Dark Worlds (WW2 bombing raids) or Subways &BunkersIn the Cold War.Only recommended for students aged 14+.
