27 Best World War II & Cold War Sights in Berlin

Berlin has such an intriguing history, and exploring the city’s World War II and Cold War history are is one of the biggest reasons tourists come here. You probably don’t have time to see every single sight, so I’ve put together this list of what I think are the best World War II and Cold War sights in Berlin.

Some of the attractions on this list are famous ones that are probably already on your list of things to do in Berlin. But there are a few you might not know about, ones that are often overlooked but are well worth visiting.

If the city’s history is an important part of your Berlin itinerary, these World War II and Cold War attractions in Berlin are a must.

What you'll find here

Toggle

Tours focusing on World War II and the Cold War

Tours can be a great way to see lots of World War II and Cold War sights in a short amount of time while also hearing about the history from an expert.

Here are a few we recommend.

• Berlin Small Group Third Reich and Cold War Walking Tour
• Small Group East Berlin Walking Tour
• Third Reich Berlin Walking Tour – Hitler and WWII
• Sachsenhausen Memorial Half-Day Tour From Berlin
• 75 Minute Trabi Safari Tour

Where to find the best World War II and Cold War sites in Berlin

With so many interesting and historically important sites, it’s hard to choose the best World War II and Cold War sites in Berlin. But this list will get you a good mix of attractions to learn about the history of these time periods.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, often referred to as the Holocaust Memorial, honors the large number of Jewish people who died at the hands of the Nazis. This is one of the most important World War II sights in Berlin, and one of the most well known landmarks in Germany.

The memorial consists of 2,711 concrete blocks of varying heights, and the ground they sit on is an uneven slope similar to a wave. It’s supposed to make you feel uneasy.

The information center is inside and showcases letters, diaries, photographs, and biographies of the victims to help personalize the experience.

Entrance is free. The outside section is open 24/7, but check opening times for the information center. Photography is allowed (no flash inside) but please be respectful.

It’s worth noting that Jews were not the only group the Nazis tried to extinguish. Not far from the Holocaust Memorial, you can see several other memorials honoring different groups who became victims.

• Memorial to European Sinti and Roma Murdered Under Nazism: Simsonweg, 10117 Berlin
• Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted Under Nazism: Ebertstraße, 10785 Berlin
• Memorial to the Victims of the Nazi Euthanasia Murders: Tiergartenstraße 4, 10785 Berlin
• Memorial to the Murdered Members of the Reichstag: Scheidemannstraße 5, 10557 Berlin

Bebelplatz

A small but powerful memorial sits in the middle of Bebelplatz along Unter den Linden. If you don’t look down, you might miss it.

It’s a square glass panel, and when you look down, you’ll see empty shelves. This is a sight that remembers what was lost on May 10, 1933 when the Nazis burned approximately 20,000 books whose stories they didn’t want told.

This is a quick World War II site to see, but it’s an easy stop while exploring Unter den Linden, which is an important sightseeing area that’s probably already on your Berlin itinerary.

Location: Bebelpl. 1, 10117 Berlin

House of the Wannsee Conference

This luxury villa was the location of the infamous Wannsee Conference in 1942. Nazi government officials met to discuss the so-called “Final Solution to the Jewish Question” here.

Today this location serves as a museum documenting this awful meeting and how their plan was put into action. It’s also a Holocaust memorial where you can learn about the genocide of the Jewish population.

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church

This famous Berlin landmark is one of the most important churches in Berlin. The original church was built here in the 1890s, but was damaged in WWII air raids in 1943.

Interestingly, the church was not rebuilt and instead has been left much as it was after World War II. Its been nicknamed by Berliners as Der Hohle Zahn—literally “The Hollow Tooth”.

Topography of Terror

The Topography of Terror Museum sits on the location that was the headquarters of the Gestapo and the SS between 1933 and 1945. This is where persecution and killings of Nazi opponents were organized, and where the genocide of Jews, Roma, and Sinti was coordinated.

This powerful museum now serves as a place to remember history and warn us from repeating the terrors of the past. The exhibits here use photographs and documentation to teach visitors about the crimes that were organized here, and you can view excavation sites through glass windows.

Topography of Terror is definitely one to add to your list of places to see World War II sites in Berlin.

Location: Niederkirchnerstraße 8, 10963 Berlin

Join our Facebook group!

Have questions about planning your trip to Berlin?

Join the Facebook group here to chat with Ali (she runs this site) and other people who have been to Berlin for tips.

Join our Facebook group!

Have questions about planning your trip to Berlin?

Join the Facebook group here to chat with Ali (she runs this site) and other people who have been to Berlin for tips.

Jewish Museum

The Berlin Jewish Museum tells the stories of Jewish people in Germany from the Middle Ages to present day. The whole museum, inside and out, is designed to be part of the experience of learning about the diverse Jewish culture and the gaps made by the Holocaust.

You can explore three different sections of the museum that teach about different aspects of Jewish life, culture, and history in Germany. The museum uses a lot of symbolism, which makes this creative space more impactful. For example, in one area, uneven ground conveys a feeling of uncertainty.

Stolpersteine

Every so often when you’re walking around Berlin, glance down at the sidewalk below you. You might see Stolpersteine, which are small brass squares that serve as mini memorials for victims of the Nazis.

These “stumbling stones” sit in front of the victims’ last known address before they were taken away. Their name, date of birth, date of death if known, and where they were taken are among the details listed on these humble but meaningful memorials.

Reichstag Building

The Reichstag Building is the current seat of the German Parliament, and it’s one of the best World War II and the Cold War sites in Berlin.

It was used by the German government until 1933 when a fire greatly damaged the building. Marking the end of the Weimar Republic and the strengthening of the Nazi dictatorship, the building was neglected and suffered more damage during WWII.

After the war, when Berlin was divided into East and West, the Reichstag Building sat in the West just steps from the Berlin Wall. The seat of the German government was moved to Bonn, and though the building was somewhat repaired, it was seldom used.

After reunification, the building was redesigned and restored. It opened in 1999, and the German Parliament returned here once again.

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp

One of the more popular day trips from Berlin, the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp is located just outside the city limits, reachable on public transport with a ticket that includes zone C.

Not only did tens of thousands of people die here, but this concentration camp was the headquarters of the whole concentration camp system. Even after the Nazis were defeated and World War II ended, the Soviets used Sachsenhausen as a camp for their own political enemies, and thousands more died over the next five years.

Olympic Stadium

The Olympic Stadium in Berlin is another World War II site to visit. Built by renowned architect Werner March, this geometric masterpiece can hold up to 100,000 people.

But it has a dark history. During the Nazi regime, the Olympic Stadium was used to host propaganda events.

Berlin Story Bunker

Near Anhalter Bahnhof is the Berlin Story Bunker museum, which is a bunker from World War I, not II. It tells the history of Berlin over 800 years.

One of the most interesting exhibits is about Hitler, how he came to power, why so many voted for him, and other questions and answers about the Nazi regime and the events leading to and during World War II.

Cecilienhof Palace

Cecilienhof Palace was built from 1914 to 1917 in the style of an English Tudor manor house, and it was the last palace built by the Hohenzollern family. They ruled the Kingdom of Prussia and German Empire until the end of World War I.

This palace is also famous for being the location of the Potsdam conference from July 17 to August 2, 1945, when the Allies met to discuss and decide how to handle post war Europe and Asia. This meeting is seen as the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War.

Museum Berlin-Karlshorst

This museum documents World War II on the eastern front, but its location is also quite significant. The building is where Germany signed their unconditional surrender in front of representatives of Russia, the US, the UK, and France on the night of May 8-9, 1945.

Berlin Wall Memorial at Bernauer Strasse

The Berlin Wall is one of the biggest reminders of the Cold War. And the Bernauer Strasse Wall Memorial is one of the best places in Berlin to learn about Berlin Wall history.

This 1.4km (0.87 mile) section of road has one of the last remaining pieces of the Berlin Wall. When the Wall went up, neighbors living on opposite sides of the street were suddenly torn apart as the Wall separated buildings on the East side of the street from those on the West.

This open air memorial shows where the Wall stood, where apartment buildings were on the East, where escape tunnels were dug, and more. Placards describe what it was like living on the eastern side of Bernauer Strasse before and after the Wall went up, how it affected the neighborhood, how people tried to escape, and many other details.

About midway down the street, there’s a building with a tower that allows you to see over the Wall that still stands and into the death strip. At the visitors center, don’t miss the two short films (alternating time slots for German and English) depicting the Wall in the city as well as what it was like out in the countryside.

The East Side Gallery is more famous, but the Bernauer Strasse Wall Memorial is a better place to learn about the Wall and its effects.

East Side Gallery

The East Side Gallery is the most well known section of the Berlin Wall, and it runs along a stretch of the Spree River. At 1.3km (0.8 mile) this is considered the longest open air gallery in the world.

Shortly after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, artists from 21 countries came here to paint murals to celebrate Germany being reunited and to remind the world of terrible things that occurred here. Over the years, the art has changed several times, and you can now see art covering current issues the world faces.

There are several sections you’ve undoubtedly seen pictures of, but it’s worth taking your time to admire as much of the East Side Gallery as you have time for. You’ll find lots of other pieces of art that grab you, even if they’re not so famous.

Palace of Tears

The Palace of Tears, or Tränenpalast in German, was used by the DDR dictatorship as a departure point for those crossing the border between the DDR and West Berlin. It was constructed in 1962 and is located at the Friedrichstraße train station.

Here many people were forced by border guards to leave their families and friends as they were denied any access to the border. Today, the exhibits at this Berlin Cold War attraction serve as a reminder of the separation of Germany and all the tears that were shed in connection with it.

TV Tower

One of the most famous landmarks in Berlin, the TV Tower can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. It’s one of the tallest structures in Germany and the European Union, standing at 368 meters (1,207 feet) tall, and it was inaugurated on October 3, 1969.

This was less than two months after the start of the Berlin Wall. Built by the Soviets, it was meant to represent the strength of communist East Germany, and its presence loomed over residents on both sides of the divide.

Now that the Cold War is over, it is now a symbol of the reunification of Germany and a symbol of Berlin itself.

Die Mauer – The Wall Panorama Museum

Brandenburg Gate

Brandenburg Gate is a must on any visitor’s list of things to do in Berlin. Even though it was constructed in the late 1700s, its meaning has transformed over the years, and it has significant Cold War ties.

When Berlin was divided by the Wall during the Cold War, Brandenburg Gate stood in no man’s land, just barely to the East of the border. To many people, it represented the separation of the two sides.

President Reagan gave his famous “Tear down this wall!” speech from the western side of the gate, where people on the eastern side could hear.

Tempelhof Park

One of Berlin’s largest green spaces is Tempelhofer Feld, a former airport that has been turned into a park. In 1948-1949, the airport was the hub of the Berlin Airlift, which kept West Berlin supplied with goods during the Berlin Blockade.

Even after the Berlin Wall came down and East and West Germany reunited, this airport continued to operate. It wasn’t until 2008 that the airport closed.

In 2010, it reopened as a public park, and the runway and airport building remain. Today you can enjoy walking, running, roller blading, cycling, kite surfing, and more all on a former airport runway.

Mauerpark

During the Cold War, the area that is now Mauerpark was part of the death zone, which was the area between the Berlin Wall and the East/West border. It was where people trying to escape often got shot, hence the name.

Today it’s one of the city’s favorite parks. On Sundays, the most well known flea market is held here along with karaoke a little outside the flea market area.

9th of November Platz

One of the lesser known Cold War sights in Berlin, 9th of November Platz is located at a former border crossing in the northern section of the city. There you can find photos and info placards with history about the Wall and the day it came down, the 9th of November 1989.

Stasi Museum

The Stasi were the secret police in East Germany. They carried out the communist idea of control and played a big part in East German life.

The Stasi Museum is a must see Cold War attraction in Berlin to learn about the history of the Stasi and the extent of their control on every day life. The museum is also located at the original headquarters of the Stasi.

Berlin Wall markers

This isn’t one you need to go out of your way for, but as you’re walking around Berlin, you might notice markers on the ground. Though the Wall is gone, you can now see small plaques indicating where the Berlin Wall once stood dividing East from West.

They’re all along the former border, but a few notable places near popular attractions include near Brandenburg Gate, near Mauerpark and the Wall Memorial at Bernauer Strasse, and near Topography of Terror.

Checkpoint Charlie

Checkpoint Charlie was once an important border crossing point between East and West Berlin. Though there were several crossings, this one is the most well known.

Today it’s a simple tourist attraction, a small hut in the middle of the road. Fake guards stood here for photo ops until recently, but they aren’t allowed to be there anymore.

Ampelmann

During the Cold War, the East and West had different crosswalk signals, and since the Wall came down, the Ampelmann from the East has become quite iconic. Items with the red and green Ampelmann on things like t-shirts, key chains, magnets, bags, and more now make for fun souvenirs from Berlin.

Invalidenfriedhof: Section of the Berlin Wall

As the Wall was built, a lot of buildings and other places were displaced to make room for sections of the Wall, watch towers, and more. This cemetery, the Invalidenfriedhof, was an unfortunate victim.

More than 90% of the graves were moved to make room for watch towers, the death strip, and other things deemed necessary for patrolling the border. Today a section of the Berlin Wall and a section of the patrol road still remain as a reminder of its past.

There are some signs in German and a few in both German and English, but it’s a pleasant place to visit even without being able to understand all the signs. It’s right near one of the canals, and overall it feels very peaceful.

Berlin Travel Resources

I want you to have the best trip to Berlin, and hopefully this list of the best World War II and Cold War sites in Berlin is helpful. But there are lots more tips on the site!