The Charité's museum in Berlin-Mitte, covering 300 years of medical history, with Virchow's specimen collection and the lecture hall ruin.
May 29, 2026 – May 2, 2027
The exhibition examines how perception and participation change when the bed becomes the center of one's life. Historic objects, archival material, art and the voices of those affected span the period from the 19th century to the present.
September 29, 2026 – October 11, 2026
Sound installation by the artist Kirstin Burckhardt in the specimen hall, centered on a harp more than a hundred years old and her own family and body history; accompanied by a performance in the lecture hall ruin on October 10.
October 29, 2026 – June 20, 2027
Twelve artistic and scientific interventions by the Junge Akademie question the collection from a posthuman perspective, turning the spotlight on animals, microbes, machines and data.
The museum's roots go back to Rudolf Virchow. From 1856 onward, the pathologist expanded the small specimen collection of his predecessors into a comprehensive teaching collection and pushed through the construction of a dedicated museum building on the Charité grounds. In 1899 the Pathological Museum opened there with around 2,000 square meters of exhibition space: the upper floors served study and teaching, while the lower levels were open to lay visitors as a public display collection.
After World War I the building was used only as a teaching collection. In World War II, bombs destroyed large parts of the building, and of the roughly 35,000 specimens only about 1,800 survived. Charité pathologists rebuilt the collection in the postwar years. The Rudolf Virchow Lecture Hall, destroyed in the war, was preserved as a ruin and is now a distinctive event venue.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the historic building did not become a purely pathological museum again; instead, the more broadly conceived Berliner Medizinhistorisches Museum der Charité opened in 1998. The permanent exhibition “Dem Leben auf der Spur” (On the Trail of Life) leads from the anatomical theater of the early 18th century through Virchow's specimen collection to the clinic, the laboratory and the sickbed. In the specimen hall, around 750 wet and dry specimens are displayed in showcases from Virchow's time. Special exhibitions explore topics from medical and cultural history.
| Adults | €10 |
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| Reduced | €5School students, university students, trainees and apprentices, volunteer service participants, retirees, people with disabilities with a degree of disability (GdB) of 50 or more, recipients of social benefits, Charité employees, members of the Freundeskreis der Charité and Charité inpatients (proof required in each case) |
| Children & teens | –No general free admission for children; school students pay the reduced price. Because human specimens are on display, the visit is recommended for ages 16 and up. |
| Seniors | €5Retirees pay the reduced price. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €5companion free · Reduced admission with a degree of disability (GdB) of 50 or more; companions registered on the severe disability ID (Schwerbehindertenausweis) are admitted free. |
| Students & apprentices | €5Charité students and trainees are admitted free. |
| Groups (10+ people) | €6 per personGroups of 10 to 24 people €6 per person, reduced €2; groups of 10 or more should book through the Museumsdienst Berlin. |
| Families | €19Family ticket for max. 2 adults and max. 3 children under 18. |
| Museumszeit am Sonntag (first Sunday of every month) | €5reduced admission for everyone |
Free admission for groups including holders of the Museumspass Berlin, the Museumsbund or ICOM card, members of the press and members of the friends' association.
Entrance via a ramp; exhibition rooms reachable by a wheelchair-accessible elevator with push-button doors; accessible restroom in the basement next to the coat check. Wheelchairs, rollators and folding stools available free of charge at the ticket desk. Tactile station in the exhibition and multisensory tours; a descriptive audio guide has been announced. No induction loop, no offerings in German Sign Language (DGS); exhibition texts are not available in Easy Read (a website page in plain language exists). Regular “quiet hours” for people who need a calm environment.
Only partly suitable for kidsRecommended for ages 16+
| Family ticket | €19 · Family ticket for max. 2 adults and max. 3 children under 18. |
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Because of the anatomical and pathological specimens on display, the museum recommends visiting only from age 16. Strollers are allowed; a baby changing room is located in the basement.
Campus Charité Mitte (Bus 147)
Bus 147 to Campus Charité Mitte or bus 123, 142, 147, 245 to Invalidenpark; tram M5, M8, M10 to Invalidenpark; U5 and S-Bahn/regional trains to Hauptbahnhof; U6 to Oranienburger Tor or Naturkundemuseum.
No on-site parking at the museum.
There is no parking on the Charité grounds; arrival by bus and train recommended.
Museum shop with books and exhibition catalogs. Free Charité guest Wi-Fi. Large bags and backpacks are not permitted in the exhibition; storage is limited.
Up to 100 guests.
The lecture hall ruin (Virchowweg 16) is rented out for press conferences, seminars, receptions, gala evenings and product presentations (up to about 100 people depending on seating, external catering, kitchen available); no private parties. Inquiries to bmm-hoersaalruine@charite.de.
Inquiries & details| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (DE, EN) |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Private photography without flash or tripod is allowed; photography is not permitted on level 3 of the permanent exhibition. Commercial photography only with permission. |
| Good to know | Audio tour via QR code on your own smartphone (bring your own headphones) or as a loaner device against a deposit in limited numbers. Tours and workshops via the Museumsdienst Berlin; regular public tours, curator tours, grounds tours and "Nachts im Museum". The lecture hall ruin is not always accessible because of rentals. |
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