Topography of Terror

Why go

A surviving Berlin Wall segment and the excavated site connect the indoor documentation with the terrain outside. It is located on Niederkirchnerstrasse, formerly Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse, on the site of buildings which during the Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945 were the headquarters of the Gestapo and the SS, the principal instruments of repression during the Nazi era.

What to look for

• The documentation centre stands on the former headquarters site of the Gestapo, SS and Reich Security Main Office.
• A surviving Berlin Wall segment and the excavated site connect the indoor documentation with the terrain outside.

The full story

The wall here was never demolished. Indeed, the section adjacent to the Topography of Terror site is the longest extant segment of the outer wall (the longer East Side Gallery section in Friedrichshain being actually part of the inner wall not visible from West Berlin). The first exhibitions of the site took place in 1987, as part of Berlin's 750th anniversary. The cellar of the Gestapo headquarters, where many political prisoners were tortured and executed, was found and excavated. The site was then turned into a memorial and museum, in the open air but protected from the elements by a canopy, detailing the history of repression under the Nazis. The excavation took place in cooperation with East German researchers, and a joint exhibition was shown both at the site and in East Germany in 1989.

Useful to know

• Verify current opening hours, closures and timed-entry rules on the official visitor page before setting out.
• Allow extra time for security or ticketing when the visit includes an interior collection or viewing platform.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.