27 Meaningful Places to See World War II Sites in Berlin

World War II shaped Berlin’s and Germany’s history, and the horrible things that occurred are never forgotten. If you’re interested in World War II history, this extensive list of places to see World War II sites in Berlin is for you.

Berlin has many World War II sites and attractions that are worth visiting to learn about this history and to remember the many victims.

Since many of the atrocities that took place actually happened before the war started, I’ve included memorials and museums that cover the time period leading up to the war.

In this list of Berlin World War 2 attractions, you’ll find museums, memorials, and other sights that have ties to the war, the Holocaust, and the events in the years before war broke out.

Please visit these places with respect. Many of these sites honor tragic events and deceased victims.

Where to find World War II sites in Berlin

From the well known memorials and museums to the ones you may not have heard about, this list of places to see World War II sites in Berlin is a great way to explore the city’s dark history.

Also, check out our list of the best World War II and Cold War sites in Berlin.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, often referred to as the Berlin 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 it’s probably already on your Berlin bucket list.

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.

Do not sit on or climb on the cement slabs or take selfies. This is a place to reflect and remember those who were murdered.

Location: Cora-Berliner-Straße 1, 10117 Berlin

Bebelplatz

A small but powerful memorial sits in the middle of Bebelplatz along Unter den Linden, an important sightseeing area that’s probably already on your Berlin itinerary. 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.

Location: Bebelpl. 1, 10117 Berlin

Topography of Terror

The Topography of Terror Museum is one of the more interesting things to do in Berlin because it 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 tell visitors about the crimes that were organized here, plus there are excavation sites you can view through glass windows.

Topography of Terror is definitely one to add to your list of places to see World War II sites in Berlin. Read my full guide to visiting Topography of Terror for more information and tips.

Location: Niederkirchnerstraße 8, 10963 Berlin

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 honor 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.

Nazi Forced Labor Documentation Center

Managed by the Topography of Terror Foundation, the Nazi Forced Labor Documentation Center in the Schöneweide neighborhood is the location of a former forced labor camp. This is just one of over 3,000 that once existed in the Berlin area.

In the exhibition spaces and in the air raid shelter, you can view inscriptions, letters, and biographies of the people who were imprisoned at this labor camp. You can also tour some of the barracks, view the living conditions, and learn about the every day lives of the prisoners. This is one of many free museums in Berlin.

Location: Britzer Str. 5, 12439 Berlin

Reichstag Building

The Reichstag Building is the current seat of the German Parliament and one of the most historic landmarks in Germany. It also has quite a history with both World War II and the Cold War.

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 has 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.

Today you can take a free tour of the Reichstag Building, but you must register well ahead of time. It’s one of the most popular free things to do in Berlin.

Location: Platz der Republik 1, 11011 Berlin

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.

This is a fantastic museum to visit if you’re interested in the history of the Jewish people in Germany.

Location: Lindenstraße 9-14, 10969 Berlin

Platform 17 Memorial

At the Grunewald S-Bahn station in the southwest corner of Berlin, you can see the Platform 17 Memorial. This station was used by the Nazis in the early 1940s to transport Jews to concentration camps.

Since it’s not centrally located, it was easier for the Nazis to make sure their prisoners weren’t seen while lining up to board the train. Today this memorial honors those who left from this station and were taken to horrible places where they were most likely killed.

The memorial was sponsored by Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s railway company, and track 17 is no longer used by any trains. The Platform 17 Memorial doesn’t take long to visit and is a 25 minute Sbahn ride from the Alexanderplatz station.

Location: Am Bahnhof Grunewald, 14193 Berlin

>>Check out these unique things to do in Berlin.

Anhalter Bahnhof

A little south of Potsdamer Platz is Anhalter Bahnhof, the remains of a train station. It was once one of the most important train stations in Berlin, and part of Berlin’s World War II history.

Unfortunately during the Nazi era, it was one of three stations in Berlin used to deport Jews to concentration camps. The station was damaged during WWII, but was still operational for several more years.

Anhalter Bahnhof is located in the former East. When the Soviets started using Ostbahnhof as the main train station in the East, Anhalter Bahnhof was no longer needed, and operations ceased in 1952.

Location: Askanischer Pl. 6, 10963 Berlin

>>Read: 13 Places to See the Berlin Wall + 9 Other Wall Attractions

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.

Today it’s an open-air venue used for concerts and other large events. If you visit the stadium on an event-free day, you can take a tour of the stadium and learn about its role during the Second World War.

Location: Olympischer Platz 3, 14053 Berlin

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”.

This church is a stark reminder of the destruction of war and an interesting World War II site in Berlin.

Location: Breitscheidplatz, 10789 Berlin

Soviet War Memorial in Treptow Park

Located in Berlin’s Treptow Park in the southern part of the city, the Soviet War Memorial commemorates 7,000 of the 80,000 soldiers of the Red Army who lost their lives in the Battle of Berlin in 1945.

Part memorial, part cemetery, this is one of several Soviet War Memorials in Berlin, and was inaugurated in 1949, four years after the war. It’s an impressive example of a soaring Soviet monument.

Location: Puschkinallee, 12435 Berlin

Soviet War Memorial in Tiergarten

The Soviet War Memorial in Tiergarten Park is the other well known one in Berlin. It’s large and even includes a tank.

The memorial’s location was strategic – it’s within the park along Strasse des 17 Juni, not far from the Victory Column, the Reichstag Building, and Brandenburg Gate. Of all the Soviet War Memorials in and near Berlin, this is the only one that was built in the former West.

There are several other Soviet War Memorials in and near Berlin, but these are the two that are most central.

Location: Str. des 17. Juni 4, 10557 Berlin

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.

Though this is a somber site, it’s important to learn about those who suffered and died here. Read more about how to get to Sachsenhausen from Berlin.

Entrance is free, but consider taking a guided tour like this one to enrich your experience: Sachsenhausen Memorial Half-Day Tour From Berlin.

Location: Str. d. Nationen 22, 16515 Oranienburg

Silent Heroes Memorial Center

This memorial center remembers the Jewish people who resisted persecution before and during World War II and those who helped them. The exhibit shows the plight of those who faced deportation and worse, and how they decided to go underground in order to resist.

Learn about their living conditions and how people tried to help them, including both successful and failed attempts.

The Silent Heroes Memorial is actually part of a bigger memorial center called the German Resistance Memorial Center, which honors many who resisted the Nazi rule.

The center’s location is also significant as it is the historic site of the attempted coup of July 20, 1944.

Location: Stauffenbergstraße 13-14, 10785 Berlin

Flak Tower in Humboldthain Park

From 1940-41, the Nazis built bunkers and set up an anti-aircraft gun tower in Humboldthain Park. After the war, the bunkers were mostly filled in, and nature began to reclaim the area.

Today not much is visible of its past, but it’s an interesting World War II site to see. And from the viewing platform at the top of the hill, you’ll be rewarded with some excellent views of Berlin.

The bunkers are now home to bats during the winter, but in the summer, Berliner Unterwelten offers tours of some of the underground sections of the demolished flak tower.

Location: Hochstraße 5, 13357 Berlin

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.

If you’ve ever wondered how it all happened, this is an excellent museum to visit.

Location: Schöneberger Str. 23A, 10963 Berlin

Memorial SA Prison Papestrasse

This former SA prison is the only place remaining with traces of the terrors of the Nazis from as early as 1933. For much of 1933, it was a concentration camp run by the SA Field Police.

Here the SA (Sturmabteilung, or Storm Troopers) imprisoned, interrogated, and tortured political opponents, Jews and other groups persecuted by the Nazi regime. The names of almost 500 prisoners are known, but it is believed that the number is much higher.

At this museum, you can see exhibits documenting the history of this former prison. It also serves as a memorial to those who suffered here.

Location: Werner-Voß-Damm 54A, 12101 Berlin

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.

This was the ceremonial recognition of complete defeat and victory over Hilter’s regime. The Museum Berlin-Karlshorst (formerly called the German Russian Museum) isn’t so centrally located, but it’s a significant place to visit for World War II history in Berlin.

Location: Zwieseler Str. 4, 10318 Berlin

Anne Frank Center

The story of Anne Frank and her diary is well known around the world, and if you’re ever in Amsterdam, the Anne Frank House is excellent. But Berlin also honors her memory and legacy with the Anne Frank Center.

At this museum, you can learn about Anne Frank and the history of National Socialism. It’s also an interactive museum that’s great for all ages.

Though there is a small entrance fee, this is one of many excellent cheap activities in Berlin.

Location: Rosenthaler Str. 39, 10178 Berlin

Museum Blindenwekstatt Otto Weidt

During World War II, Otto Weidt ran a workshop making brooms and brushes, and many of his employees were blind and deaf Jews. When they were in danger, he used his shop to help keep them hidden from persecution and deportation.

This museum tells the story of Otto Weidt and his workshop, and it’s another interesting and free World War 2 attraction in Berlin.

Location: Rosenthaler Str. 39, 10178 Berlin

Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted Under Nazism

Though Jews were the biggest group that suffered under the Nazi regime, they weren’t the only victims. In the southeast corner of Tiergarten, you’ll find the Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted Under Nazism.

This memorial uses a video to tell the history of how gays were arrested, tortured, castrated, and killed under Nazi rule. The intention is to encourage tolerance and acceptance while remembering the past.

Location: Ebertstraße, 10785 Berlin, across the street from the Holocaust Memorial

Memorial to the Victims of the Nazi Euthanasia Murders

Under Nazi rule, tens of thousands of patients from sanatoriums and nursing homes as well as people who were deemed to be racially and socially undesirable were murdered. This horrific crime is considered a precursor to the mass murder of European Jews.

Today the memorial is at the location where the euthanasia murder program was planned, developed, and carried out.

Location: Tiergartenstraße 4, 10785 Berlin

Memorial to European Sinti and Roma Murdered Under Nazism

On the eastern edge of Tiergarten, you can see the Memorial to European Sinti and Roma Murdered Under Nazism. This memorial honors the memory of the many Sinti and Roma people, formerly called “gypsies”, who were killed under the Nazi regime.

You can learn about the history of this group and what happened to them, and there’s a fountain where a flower is placed every day.

Location: Simsonweg, 10117 Berlin

Memorial to the Murdered Members of the Reichstag

Political leaders in Germany were also victims of the Nazis. The Memorial to the Murdered Members of the Reichstag honors the 96 known members of Parliament who died at the hands of the Nazis before and during World War II.

You can see this memorial in Platz der Republik, in front of the Reichstag Building. It’s near the trailer type buildings where you enter for a booked free tour.

Honestly, it’s a little cramped here, almost like the memorial was inconveniencing the people who set up the trailer looking buildings. I feel like they could’ve set those trailers back a little farther to give a little space to the memorial.

Location: Scheidemannstraße 5, 10557 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.

This World War II site isn’t centrally located, but it’s a historically important attraction to visit.

Location: Am Großen Wannsee 56-58, 14109 Berlin

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.

This Cold War site is a great place to include on a day trip to Potsdam.

>>Read: How to Get to Potsdam From Berlin by Train

Location: Im Neuen Garten, 14469 Potsdam

Berlin Travel Resources

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