Berlin's history

I am not an expert on German history or Berlin, but I spent six days in the city in 2015 and am especially interested in Cold War history. There are tons of possibilities, so you'll need to be selective. Pick up a guide book and read about your options. It's also a good idea to stop at one of the tourist offices to see whether there's something special going on or a new sight not mentioned in all the guide books. All the places I visited had very good English-language explanatory material.

I believe the German History Museum is a very good, but unfortunately I didn't have time to get there. It's very large and probably should be visited early in your trip.

Cold War specialty sights I found especially interesting were:

• The House at Checkpoint Charlie, aka Mauermuseum - Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, with displays related to escape attempts from the DDR. Can be mobbed. Open late.

• The Tränenpalast, which focuses on procedure by which West Berliners could apply to visit family in the East during part of the time the city was divided.

• The DDR Museum, with displays about day-to-day life in the DDR--crummy clothes, bad food, garden plots, etc. Very good explanation of what can happen when a planned economy is not actually well-planned. Can be mobbed. Open late.

• Berlin Hohenschönhausen Memorial, a former Stasi prison. English tours are offered; they begin with a film. If you can't synchronize your visit to the English-language schedule, it's still very much worth a visit to see the museum area, whose displays cover some of the same material dealt with during the tour. The prison is not in the central part of the city. You can get to within 1/2 to 1 mile of it by tram, but if there are at least three of you, I'd plan to take a taxi.

That's just the Cold War stuff. I trust others will offer suggestions related to earlier periods of Berlin's history.

Edited to add: If you're planning a summer trip, be advised that Berlin can be very hot then. (It can also be quite not-hot.) You'll be taking quite a risk if you book a non-air-conditioned hotel.

I also should have mentioned how spread out the sights are in Berlin. Time will be needed for simply moving from place to place. That, in addition to the considerable amount of time needed to absorb many of the individual sights, will affect how many places you can visit each day. I mention that in case you are considering the Berlin Welcome Card.

Plenty of history in Berlin, obviously. Begin your stay with a half-day walking tour to get oriented. There is plenty of competition so the prices are low.

Www.visitberlin.de is the basic research tool. Here is its overview of history museums: https://www.visitberlin.de/en/suche?keys=german+history+museum

The national historical museum you mention is fundamental to reaching an understanding of the country. It faces both good and bad, in the modern style of providing information and context rather than the old approach of just showcasing treasures from the past. If memory serves the audio guide is worth getting. https://www.dhm.de/en/besuch%20und%20service/

The Reichstag, home to the German parliament, has been reconstructed and modernized. The observation dome on the roof offers splendid perspectives over the city. Reservations required well in advance for security reasons.

https://www.visitberlin.de/en/reichstag-in-berlin

There was not much to see at Checkpoint Charlie when it operated, and not now either. What there is, at least outside, is fake, especially the "guards". However I have not been inside the museum, which is housed in a modern office building.

Topography of Terror, the Synagogue/Museum, Saxenhausen Memorial outside the city. Early one morning, visit the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.

A boat ride on the river gives an interesting perspective of the city.

Agree about Checkpoint Charlie: If you aren't interested in going inside the museum, there's not really a good reason to go to that area. You'll just be able to have your picture taken (for a fee, I assume) at the fake checkpoint. It seems a shame to waste time doing that with all the incredible real things to see in Berlin.

I was in Berlin in June 2015 and loved my time there. So much WWII history. I would take a walking tour that takes you to the Brandenburg Gate, the Monument to the Murdered Jews of Europe and the Jewish Museum (in a different neighborhood). Excellent coverage of these terrible times of Hitler and the Nazis. You will find brass plaques in the sidewalks outside businesses, shops and apartments with the names, dates of birth and deportation and death of Jews during this era. I admire Germany for its determination to own up to its past.
You can also see the Olympic venues of the 1936 games. It's out of the city center. Rick Steves has guidebooks that cover much of this subject matter. Right now guidebooks are discounted on his online link -Shop Online, on the left hand sidebar.

I loved Berlin! Enjoy your trip.

Hi,

Great that you two will be going to Berlin. The last time I was there prior to the end of the Wall was in August 1989 but not until the end of July 1992 did I get back as an effort to compare and contrast, among other historical reasons. Yes, it is best that you read up on the history first. I suggest Mary Fulbrook's book on Germany, the 2nd ed is an update since reunification.

For Berlin itself Alexandra Ritchie's book, a massive work but very readable, competent and scholarly, captivating too. It's not just political and military history as it pertains to Prussian history but cultural history is included. Just read the parts he is interested in. I would start with 1848 if you have time, not much time start with 1862. Under a real time constraint then start with 1890.

Rick's new Berlin guidebook hit the shelves recently. Like most of our single-city titles, it includes several self-guided walking and museum routes that are not in the big Germany book, as well as brief coverage of shopping and nightlife.

See also these researcher blog entries:

https://blog.ricksteves.com/cameron/2017/05/digging-deeper-in-berlin/

https://blog.ricksteves.com/cameron/page/3/

Have to disagree a little bit with the comments about Checkpoint Charlie. Sure, it is a touristy type thing now - you have to be careful not to get the Golden Arches across the street in your shots - but it is still a place loaded with history. Forget the selfies with the fake guards and just appreciate the significance of that spot. I was there at 7am before the crowds arrived and it was peaceful and thought provoking to be there by myself.

The German History Museum is a must . As it is arranged in chronological order , you could take a lead from Fred , and begin at a point which would be suitable for your level of interest , and allotted time ( we spent a full day there , which was hardly enough ) . With a full week at your disposal , I would strongly recommend a day trip , just outside Berlin ( to the west ) , to visit The House of The Wannsee Conference . This is a Museum , as well as a memorial , that tells the story of the infamous meeting in January 1942 where Senior Nazi officials devised the " Final Solution " which resulted in the extermination of some six million European Jews ( as well as many others , deemed by the Third Reich as " untermenschen " . It is a singularly powerful experience . Read about it here , and I hope you fit this into your visit - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wannsee_Conference

I think that the points made here are very good, but a little preparation ahead of time is important. History is a big word. In Europe, it can mean from Roman times, from the time of the Holy Roman Emperors, from the time of German unification under Bismarck in 1870s, from WWI, from WWII, from the communist time, from the reunification (close to the birth of your son). So, what history do you speak of?

In terms of history, I was thinking from 1848 on (we have been to the St Paul's Church in Frankfurt on a previous trip) - but his interest is really the period from 1933 on.

Hi,

The Alexandra Ritchie book suggested above will cover, obviously, that period of Berlin's history in depth from 1933 to the final collapse in 1945. She also covers the Anglo-American profound differences as regards to the "race for Berlin." and whose arguments she rejects.

For the post-1848 era to WW1, I heartily recommend G. Masur's "Imperial Berlin." Not as massive as Ritchie's book but competent, erudite, scholarly, and readable.

Berlin is wonderful and full of history. There truly are endless possibilities. To some degree, what you show your 26-year-old son depends on what he likes. I would encourage you to pick up the Rough Guide to Berlin, which has a very comprehensive overview of the city.

For what I did with a week in Berlin (as part of longer trips) in 2016 and 2017, see the links below:

2016

2017

To bring history to life, I would highly recommend Context Travel's Walking the Wall tour. See if you can make the tour contingent on getting one of their guides who grew up in the old East Germany. I did this tour in 2016 with Chris Benedict (11 years old when the Wall fell) and a different tour in 2017 with Robert Sommer (15 years old when the Wall fell). Both gave tremendously interesting insights into life in East Berlin and into the transition from being a DDR citizen to a unified Germany citizen. If you take the tour with an open mind and inquisitive spirit (instead of one that assumes everything East German is bad), they'll open up and give you a far more interesting tour than one that just spouts off the victor's version of history.

I would definitely second Southam's recommendation regarding walking the cupola of the Reichstag. Reserve a spot ahead of time for your entry. The free audio guide for the cupola is quite good.

Lesser known sites in Berlin I have found interesting:

The AlliierterMuseum (Allied Museum). Located in the old US military district, across the street from the US Consulate (former US military headquarters in Berlin and former Luftwaffe headquarters), this museum tells the story of the rebuilding of the post-war Berlin and the competition among the Allies for the hearts of Berliners. One of the buildings with exhibits is the old US military movie theater. The museum is free. On Sundays, you can enter a Hastings TG 503 that was (probably) used in the Berlin Airlift for 1 euro.

The Bonhoeffer House. Tucked away in a Berlin neighborhood far from the city center that mostly escaped Allied bombing, this century-old house was the retirement home of the parents of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of the few theologians who opposed Hitler during WWII. The walk through the neighborhood to get to the house is lovely. The house is open primarily on Saturday mornings. You can register for a one-hour lecture on the theologian's life and then go up to his room to view some of his original possessions. Also free.

The former Tempelhof Airport has English tours that are excellent.

Good luck with your planning!

Lots of good suggestions. With regards to the Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart (or Berlin Wall as it was called in the West) I agree that Checkpoint Charlie can feel a bit like a theme park. The walk alting the section on Bernauer Strasse are much less crowded and more informative and the museum there gives a realistic view on how the Wall actually looked.

Does your son have any ideas about what he would like to see, apart from Berlin's historical past? At age 26 he may want some input.

Thank you for all your great suggestions - I have a lot of material to prepare for the trip. Is there a 3D exhibit what the Wall used to look like and is it worth seeing?

See the real thing at the Berlin Wall Memorial. It can easily be reached by U-Bahn and S-Bahn. www.berliner-mauer-gedenkstaette.de/en/

I seldom say anything is a must-see, but for your son, I think demag has highlighted one.

Hi,

Keep in mind that if you go to the Tourist Office, two of the three which I know still operate, one at the Brandenburg Gate, just east of the columns, ie opposite of Platz des Vormärz, and the beginning of Pariser Platz, and the other Tourist Office inside Berlin Hbf. you have to ask for specific historical sites not listed in brochures, such as the Resistance Museum, Invalidienfriedhof, (the oldest and most famous Prussian-German military cemetery, the site of the German surrender in Karlshorst to the Soviets, the huge Soviet Memorial in Treptow and another one in Pankow, the ack-ack guns (Flak Towers) in Gesundbrunnen, the Anti-Kriegsmuseum in Grunewald, etc.

Likewise with sites related to Imperial Berlin. There are numerous sites in Berlin pertaining to Prussian history, (you have to know where to track them down), not only those connected with the commie and Nazi eras.

If you want to track the remnants of military sites, (eg, the Tank School, Panzerausbildung ) they are there, ie, Berlin-Krampnitz, left in ruins by the Soviets. You'll need a car for that.

I would definitely go on at least one good walking tour your first day. This gives you a great orientation to the city and will take you to many of the highlights. During the week you could go on themed walking tours that cover the area of history that interest you the most - 3rd Reich, Cold War, Underground Berlin, Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, Jewish Berlin, and so on.
The company that I go on tours with is Insider Tours. http://www.insidertour.com/