Polizeihistorische Sammlung Berlin
Museum of the Berlin police in the police headquarters at Platz der Luftbrücke: uniforms, weapons, technology, and spectacular criminal cases from eight centuries.
About the museum
In early 1988 the Berlin police opened their own historical exhibition in their headquarters at Platz der Luftbrücke in Tempelhof. It combined the criminal investigation teaching collection from Schöneberg with the small museum of the police academy in Spandau; after reunification, holdings from the museum of the East Berlin Volkspolizei (People's Police) were added. Shortly after the opening, a friends' association was founded whose members, mostly volunteers, have looked after, expanded, and researched the collection ever since.
The permanent exhibition, covering around 500 square meters, traces the development of the uniformed police and criminal police from the Middle Ages to the present. Its central question is the political conditions under which the police operated in each era – from the Prussian state through the Weimar Republic and the Nazi dictatorship to the divided city with the West Berlin police and the Volkspolizei. On display are uniforms, weapons, equipment, and documents, but also tools used in well-known crimes, such as those of the Sass brothers, the department store extortionist “Dagobert,” and the Zehlendorf tunnel gangsters of 1995.
The collection also includes more than 60 historic police vehicles and around 35 motorcycles, which a working group of the friends' association maintains in Lankwitz and shows at events such as the police open day. The archive, photo collection, and reference library serve as a basis for research and publications on police history.
Highlights
- Model of the traffic tower at Potsdamer Platz with Berlin's first traffic light (1924)
- Bicycle of the department store extortionist “Dagobert”
- Equipment of the Zehlendorf tunnel gangsters of 1995
- Police uniforms from the early 19th century to the present
- Police identification camera, in use for almost a hundred years
Permanent exhibitions
- Dauerausstellung zur Berliner Polizeigeschichte – A chronological walk through eight centuries of the Berlin police that links uniforms, weapons, and work tools with the political circumstances and well-known criminal cases – including the Volkspolizei in divided Berlin.
- Founded
- 1988
- Operated by
- Polizei Berlin (Polizeiakademie), unterstützt vom Förderkreis Polizeihistorische Sammlung Berlin e. V.
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €2 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €1 |
| Groups | –Group tours by arrangement with the collection's coordinator. |
Admission prices according to the Berlin city portal berlin.de (as of July 2024); the police website lists no prices. Grounds for reduced admission are not published.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Platz der Luftbrücke (U6)
U6 to Platz der Luftbrücke (right in front of the police headquarters); bus 104 and 248.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Individual or group visits accompanied by knowledgeable staff. Tour topics (e.g., police law, the police profession, criminology, weapons, uniforms) on request. Bring an ID card or passport. Archive, photo collection, and reference library available for research by arrangement. |
