This venue is free, and very interesting. The architecture is beautiful and there is a huge…read morecircular stairway in the center. There is a lot of material about the history of government and democracy in Germany. Interesting pictures and movies of parliamentary presentations including by Hitler.

wonderful library. Many opportunities for kids. Many DVDs and CDs.read more

Great display and explanation of a terrible Cold War. Be very careful around women carrying…read morepetitions to sign as they will aggressively pursue as they are pickpockets. One managed to get a zippered pocket open but I stopped it. Apparently the museum posts warnings about it.

Checkpoint Charlie was a famous border-crossing point in the Berlin Wall that separated East and…read moreWest Germany during the Cold War. It was where Allied military personnel, diplomats, and foreign visitors were allowed to cross. My husband and I briefly went through this area when we were on a group tour. Unfortunately, I did not get a good look or photo of the replica American guardhouse (I believe that the original guardhouse is in a museum), but my husband did and said that it was not much to look at. The former East-German watchtower has not been on the site for decades, and no replica was ever made.

Topography of Terror is an indoor and outdoor history museum that was built on the site of former…read moreNazi (e.g., SS and Gestapo) buildings. The museum includes permanent and special exhibitions. My husband and I had hired a private guide for a city-wide tour, but I believe that admission to this museum is free. Here, we visited mostly the outdoor exhibit, which included the remains of Nazi buildings and part of the Berlin Wall. Fifteen stations had informational panels with photos and descriptions of events between 1933 and 1945. Text described the economic crisis and the rise of the Nazi Party in the 1920s; the registration and persecution of Jews, Gypsies, the disabled, and other demographic groups; the Allied air attacks in 1943; and the surrender of Berlin in 1945. Being on the same ground as Nazis were decades ago was an educational experience. According to the informational panels, construction of the Berlin wall began in 1961, and it reached 150 kilometers in length. It was intended to prevent the crossing of refugees from East Germany into West Germany. I felt very interested in seeing the concrete with holes, rebar, and graffiti. I hope that when people visit this museum, they learn to accept different groups of people and to oppose all forms of prejudice and discrimination.

Free admission. Located in the old SS headquarters. Sections of the original Berlin Wall is here…read moreand you learn the history of the building and the horrific things that occurred during this time frame. This is a sad but educational museum. The hanging displays outside will take a good 2 hours to read and digest. Make sure to find the start and work your way forward, I started at the wrong end. Then after you finish outside go inside the museum to learn more. If you don't like to read, audio tours are available. I learned a lot about Siemens and VW involvement during this era. Shocking! Bathrooms: downstairs and very clean Facility: very clean We came in the winter, it was very cold so dress appropriately.