Topography of Terror

Now, the name might be a little scary, however, don’t let that stop you! The museum is right in the middle of the city and with the added bonus that, unlike the majority of museums in Berlin, admission is free.

For me, one of the main attractions of this museum is its location. Close to the centre of the city between Potsdamer Platz and Checkpoint Charlie, it is situated on the site of the former Gestapo and SS headquarters which means you are standing where these historical events and decisions actually took place. The whole surrounding area was host to various other institutions and ministries of the Third Reich, nearly all of which have now been demolished; this is all explained very clearly with some large models inside. The site is also significant as it contains one of the longest remaining stretches of the Berlin Wall although, as this belongs to a different part of Berlin’s history, it is not actually relevant to the Topography of Terror.