Documentation center with free admission on the site of the former Gestapo, SS and RSHA headquarters – about the perpetrators and crimes of the Nazi terror apparatus.
In three parts, the special exhibition asks what the population could learn about the genocide through propaganda, rumors and everyday observations, and how individuals dealt with this knowledge.
Om museet
Between 1933 and 1945, the command centers of Nazi terror were located on what was then Prinz-Albrecht-Straße and Wilhelmstraße: the Secret State Police Office (Gestapo), the SS leadership and later the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA). After wartime destruction, the ruins were cleared in the 1950s; the site in the shadow of the Wall then served, among other things, as a rubble dump and a practice area for drivers, and was largely forgotten.
In the late 1970s, citizens' initiatives and historians drew attention to the significance of the site. For Berlin's 750th anniversary in 1987, following initial excavations that uncovered cellar remains, a provisional exhibition was created that stayed on permanently because of the great public interest. In 1992 a foundation was established, which today is funded jointly by the federal government and the State of Berlin.
The new building designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor failed due to rising costs; the stair towers already built were demolished in 2004. A new competition produced the simple, fully glazed pavilion by Ursula Wilms and Heinz W. Hallmann, which opened in May 2010.
The documentation center sees itself not as a traditional museum but as a place of information and learning about the perpetrators. In addition to the permanent exhibition inside the building, it includes the open-air exhibition in the trench along a preserved section of the Wall, a tour of the grounds, special exhibitions, a specialist library and an extensive educational program.
Højdepunkter
Permanent exhibition on the Gestapo, SS and Reich Security Main Office with numerous historical photos and documents
Open-air exhibition “Berlin 1933–1945” in the trench in front of excavated cellar walls
Around 200 m long remnant of the Berlin Wall on Niederkirchnerstraße
Tour of the historic site with 15 stations
Free audio guide in 22 languages, including Easy Language (Leichte Sprache) and German Sign Language (DGS)
Permanente udstillinger
Topographie des Terrors. Gestapo, SS und Reichssicherheitshauptamt in der Wilhelm- und Prinz-Albrecht-Straße – In five chapters, the main exhibition inside the building shows how the SS and police organized persecution and mass murder in Germany and occupied Europe – above all through historical photos and documents.
Berlin 1933–1945. Zwischen Propaganda und Terror – The year-round open-air exhibition in the trench in front of excavated cellar walls describes how Nazi rule changed Berlin and its population.
Der historische Ort – Geländerundgang – A circular route with 15 stations leads to the structural traces of the former terror headquarters and explains the history of the site up to the present day.
Grundlagt
1987
Ejer
Stiftung Topographie des Terrors
Ledelse
Andrea Riedle
Besøgende pr. år
ca. 1.600.000 (2025)
Entrépriser & rabatter
Der er gratis entré.
Børn og unge
–Free admission; visit recommended from age 14, younger children only accompanied by their parents
Pensionister
–Free admission
Personer med handicap
–Free admission
Studerende og elever
–Free admission
Grupper (fra 7 pers.)
–Free admission; booked group tour (7 people or more) €80 (60 min.) or €112.50 (90 min.) per group, free for schools and adult education
Familier
–Free admission
Admission, audio guide and public guided tours are free; no timed ticket needed.
Tilgængelighed
Kørestolsvenlig
Elevator
Handicaptoilet
Handicapparkering
Servicehunde tilladt
Taktile tilbud: findes ikke
Rundvisninger på tegnsprog
Letlæste tilbud
Synstolkning
Ramp next to the stairs and automatic door at the entrance, step-free exhibition level, display cases accessible from a wheelchair; restrooms in the basement reachable by elevator. Free loan wheelchair. Paid accessible parking spaces at the neighboring Gropius Bau. No floor guidance system, no Braille texts; outdoor grounds with tactile path edges. Induction loops in seminar rooms and the auditorium, Roger system for tours. Regular free tours in German Sign Language (DGS) and by telephone; on request, tours in Easy Language and with audio description. Certified under “Reisen für Alle” (Travel for All).
Børn og familie
Kun delvist egnet til børnAnbefales fra 14 år
Familieomvisninger & workshops: findes ikke
The documentation center recommends visiting from age 14; younger children should come only accompanied by their parents.
Transport & parkering
Med offentlig transport
U2 Potsdamer Platz, U6 Kochstraße; S-Bahn Anhalter Bahnhof or Potsdamer Platz; bus to Abgeordnetenhaus or Wilhelmstraße/Kochstraße
I bil
Museet har ingen egen parkeringsplads.
No parking on site; the parking lot of the neighboring Gropius Bau has paid spaces for wheelchair users.
Cafeteria in the exhibition building; food brought from outside may not be eaten in the building. Lockers in the foyer, free Wi-Fi. Pets (except assistance dogs) not allowed.
Arrangementer & udlejning
Museet har ikke offentliggjort oplysninger om dette – spørg venligst museet direkte.
Planlæg dit besøg
Rundvisninger
ja · varighed ca. 60 min.
Audioguide
ja (AR, CS, DA, DE, EL, EN, ES, FI, FR, HE, HI, IT, JA, KO, NL, NO, PL, PT, RU, SV, TR, ZH)
Tilbud til skoler
ja
Fotografering
Private photography and filming allowed as long as operations are not disturbed; professional shoots only with permission from the press office.
Godt at vide
Free public guided tours Sat and Sun at 14:00 (German) and 15:30 (English), 60 min., no registration required. Group tours several weeks in advance via booking forms (Museumsdienst Berlin); fully booked for September/October 2026, available again from November. Tours by external guides or teachers are not permitted inside the building. Audio guide (approx. 60 min.) free as a loan device or via Wi-Fi on your own smartphone.