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.
March 25, 2026 – January 31, 2027
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.
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.
Admission is free.
| Children & teens | –Free admission; visit recommended from age 14, younger children only accompanied by their parents |
|---|---|
| Seniors | –Free admission |
| Visitors with disabilities | –Free admission |
| Students & apprentices | –Free admission |
| Groups (7+ people) | –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 |
| Families | –Free admission |
Admission, audio guide and public guided tours are free; no timed ticket needed.
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).
Only partly suitable for kidsRecommended for ages 14+
The documentation center recommends visiting from age 14; younger children should come only accompanied by their parents.
U2 Potsdamer Platz, U6 Kochstraße; S-Bahn Anhalter Bahnhof or Potsdamer Platz; bus to Abgeordnetenhaus or Wilhelmstraße/Kochstraße
No on-site parking at the museum.
No parking on site; the parking lot of the neighboring Gropius Bau has paid spaces for wheelchair users.
Bike racks at the Niederkirchnerstraße entrance.
Get directionsCafeteria 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.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (AR, CS, DA, DE, EL, EN, ES, FI, FR, HE, HI, IT, JA, KO, NL, NO, PL, PT, RU, SV, TR, ZH) |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Private photography and filming allowed as long as operations are not disturbed; professional shoots only with permission from the press office. |
| Good to know | 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. |
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