Germany’s capital city is famous for its museums – and with good reason. Berlin’s museum offerings are both wide and deep, covering just about any topic or field you can imagine. And some you can’t.

Updated for 2024!

The German Spy Museum is highly interactive, as seen in this view of the museum’s laser light parcourse. Learn more about this unusual Berlin museum below. PHOTO: Copyright © Deutsches Spionagemuseum Berlin

Unfortunately, not all museums stick around forever. One that we would have liked to include here, the Currywurst Museum, opened in 2015… and closed down in December 2018. It was devoted to a unique German culinary item that Germans (and foreigners) either love or hate: curried sausage. But Berlin still has roughly 200 museums, large and small, odd and normal. Also see Erin’s GW post about the Best Museums for Kids in Berlin.

Berlin’s numerous museums are devoted to art, history, archaeology, science, technology, and much more. Museum Island alone has five of the city’s grandest, most notable museums, and you definitely should see them. (Note to archaeological fans: The Pergamon Museum, one of Berlin’s best and oldest, will close for construction for four years on 23 October 2023!) But you won’t find those “normal” museums on this list. This list includes only the odd, unusual, weird, and quirky museums in Berlin. Read on.

Berlin Story Museum (Berlin Story Bunker)
How many museums are located in a former World War II air-raid shelter (Luftschutzbunker)? The Berlin Story Museum is located in a historic bunker near the ruins of the former Anhalter train station – not far from today’s S-Bahn station of the same name (lines S1, S2 or S25). (A tunnel connected the station to the bunker.) The location of the museum is what really makes it a curiosity. Designed to take visitors on a journey through 800 years of Berlin life with 30 different displays, admittance to the Berlin Story Museum includes an audio guide (in English, German, and other languages).

The Berlin Story Museum is located in a former World War II bunker/air-raid shelter. The black German text above the entrance translates as: “Those who build bunkers throw bombs.” PHOTO: Berlin Story Museum

Utilizing multimedia displays, large scale photographs, short films, sculpture, and other art installations, this compact museum serves primarily as an introduction to the more detailed historical collections found in many other Berlin museums. It is also open on Mondays, when many other museums are closed. Three tours are offered: 1. Berlin from its origins to the present day; 2. Hitler: How could it happen?; 3. This bunker – guided tour. There is also a combo-ticket for all three (3.5 hours total, breaks allowed). Note: No pets, photography or video recording allowed inside. Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Last entry at 5:30 p.m.
Location: Schöneberger Str. 23a, 10963 Berlin
Also see “Subterranean Berlin” below.

Classic Remise Berlin (Classic/Vintage Cars)
For various historical reasons, Germany’s largest city has very few real automobile museums. There is the modest Trabi Museum near Checkpoint Charlie, and the car section at the German Technical Museum, but almost none dedicated exclusively to modern or classic cars (called “Oldtimer” in German). Then there’s the Classic Remise Berlin. Established in 2003, this special classic automobile facility is housed in a former streetcar maintenance facility in Berlin-Moabit. Unlike most of the museums listed here, admission to the Classic Remise is free! The Remise is in fact not a museum in the traditional sense.

A Remise is a coachhouse (also die Wagenremise). A German loanword from French, die Remise (ray-MEE-zuh) means shed or outbuilding, in this case a garage housing cars. See the online Duden entry for Remise for more.

On display at the Classic Remise Berlin is this Iso Rivolta Lele grand tourer, an Italian automobile manufactured by Iso Automoveicoli S.p.A. between 1969 and 1974. Learn more about this unusual classic car venue in Berlin below. PHOTO: Olli1800, CC-BY-SA-3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Located in a historic landmark building complex, the Classic Remise is a paradise for classic car buffs. It houses repair shops (behind glass windows!), classic car dealers, rental garages, and shops selling spare parts, clothing, model cars, and accessories. There’s even a “museum within the museum”: the Bilmuseum. After viewing all that leaves you hungry and thirsty, two restaurants (Parc Fermé and Trofeo) are available. The Trofeo also features a jazz brunch on Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. In a way, it’s like a shopping mall for classic car lovers. Visitors are free to walk around and view cars on display and observe various car-related activities. The Classic Remise also hosts special events. A second Classic Remise is located in Düsseldorf.
Location: Wiebestraße 36-37, 10553 Berlin-Moabit
Getting there: Parking is available for those arriving by car. See the website for several public transport options, most involving the S-Bahn or U-Bahn plus a bus, and then a short walk. The nearest S-Bahn station is Beusselstraße (Ringbahn); the nearest U-Bahn stations are Turmstraße (U9, M27 bus) and Mierendorffplatz (U7, M27 bus).
WEB: Classic Remise Berlin: Short Facts (English)

Fire Department Museum (Feuerwehrmuseum Berlin)
The Berlin Fire Department Museum opened to the public for the first time in 1983. It is located in the district of Reinickendorf at Veitstraße 5, 13507 Berlin. (S-Bahn S25, Tegel Station; U-Bahn U6, Alt-Tegel; Bus line 133, Veitstraße stop). The museum is closed on Sunday, Monday, and holidays. It is open on Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Group tours and birthday parties (for an extra fee) can be arranged with advance notice. The facility is fully accessible for the disabled. Regular admission is €5.00, groups (10 or more) are €4.00 per person. See the website (below) for more information.

The exterior of the Feuerwehrmuseum Berlin in Reinickendorf. PHOTO: Feuerwehrmuseum Berlin

The Feuerwehrmuseum Berlin documents the historical development of Berlin’s fire department over the last 170 years via documents, photos, firefighting equipment, models, and fire engines old and new. It is possible to engage hands-on with some of the equipment, but for space reasons, not all items are on display at all times. Additional historic fire engine and equipment displays take place during special events. There is also a museum library with books, magazines, and a historical archive. Until recently, it was even possible to get married in the museum, but that service will be discontinued as of 1 June 2024.
WEB: feuerwehrmuseum-berlin.de (in German only)
WEB: International Info (scroll down for English/French/Italian/Spanish, other languages, limited content)

A “Charlottenburg” three-lamp candelabra gas lantern (No. 35) at Berlin’s Gas Lantern Open-Air Museum. This is one of 90 historic gas street lanterns on display along a path in Tiergarten park. PHOTO: Manfred Brueckels, CC-BY-SA-3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Gas Lantern Open-Air Museum (Gaslaternen-Freilichtmuseum)
It’s easy to overlook this unique outdoor museum in Berlin’s Tiergarten park. In fact many people walk through it without even being aware what it’s a museum exhibit! Berlin’s gas lantern museum was established by the city’s building department and the Berlin Gas Works (GASAG) in 1978, long after the city had largely phased out gas in favor of electric street lighting. Gas lanterns have used in many German and European cities since 1826. As late as 2009, Berlin still had 44,000 modern gas lanterns illuminating its streets!

A typical info sign, this one is for Lamp No. 13, a four-column “small bundle post” with a four-flame lamp. This type of lamp originally illuminated side streets in the city of Spandau, now a district of Berlin. PHOTO: Manfred Brueckels, CC-BY-SA-3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

In summer 2006, just in time for the World Cup soccer championship being hosted by Germany that year, a refurbishment project was completed, restoring damaged and time-worn street lamps in the exhibit. Each lamp now bears a descriptive sign (see photo). Today 90 historic gas lanterns from 25 German and 11 European cities line a pathway as a permanent exhibition in the Tiergarten just off of the 17th of June Avenue (Straße des 17. Juni), across the street from the Burger King (the former Berlin-Pavillon) at the west end of the Tiergarten, and north of the Landwehrkanal. A small section of the exhibition (19 lamps) is on the Burger King side (north) of the street.
Location: Western end of the Tiergarten in Berlin

Gay Museum (Schwules Museum)
Berlin has a history of pioneering gay and lesbian rights. Magnus Hirschfeld (1868-1935), who coined the term “transvestite,” was a noted Berlin advocate for homosexual rights beginning around 1897. Over a century later, the Gay Museum opened in 1985, as part of the old Berlin Museum (now the Märkisches Museum). The museum was originally devoted almost exclusively to gay men themes, but over time the Schwules Museum has expanded to also encompass lesbian, trans, bisexual, and queer life (LGBTQ) stories, as well as concepts in history, art, and culture. It offers changing exhibitions and events that feature interesting the individual aspects and realities of life of queer people in Berlin and the world. Various events, including discussions, guided tours, film screenings, lectures and more, round out the program of the Schwules Museum in Berlin’s Tiergarten district. Location: Lützowstraße 73, 10785 Berlin

German Spy Museum (Deutsches Spionage Museum)
Appropriately located on Leipziger Platz, where part of the Berlin Wall once stood, the German Spy (Espionage) Museum first opened in September 2015, as the “Spy Museum Berlin.” It relaunched in July 2016 under its current name. The German Spy Museum was inspired by the Glienicker Bridge, the “Bridge of Spies” featured in the 2015 movie of the same name, starring Tom Hanks. The real-life bridge on the border between Potsdam and Berlin was the site of several spy swaps during the Cold War, while Berlin was still a divided city.

The entrance to the German Spy Museum at Leipziger Platz 9, not far Potsdamer Platz and some other museums in central Berlin. PHOTO: Copyright © Deutsches Spionagemuseum Berlin

When Berlin journalist Franz-Michael Günther wanted to create the German Spy Museum he searched Berlin for suitable locations. The one he found is at the very epicenter of the German capital’s historic division, but is also conveniently located near other key Berlin attractions, including the Brandenburg Gate, Potsdamer Platz, the Martin-Gropius-Bau, the Topography of Terror, and the Kulturforum. The new museum’s home required considerable work to transform it into a state-of-the-art museum. One of its notable features is interactive multi-media technology. 200 HD screens, 3D glasses, and impressive projections enable visitors to immerse themselves in the world of spies and secret agents.
Location: Leipziger Platz 9, Berlin-Mitte

Lipstick Museum (Lippenstiftmuseum)
This private museum in Berlin-Wilmersdorf, devoted to lipstick and makeup, is run by German makeup artist René Koch. The Lippenstiftmuseum (website in German only) features over 200 exhibits, some dating back to 1883, and including lipstick prints of famous people. This unique collection can be viewed only as a personal guided tour with Koch. By appointment only for individual or group tours. From 30 euros per person.
Location: Helmstedter Straße 16, Berlin-Wilmersdorf

Musical Instruments Museum (MIM)
Musikinstrumenten-Museum (Staatliches Institut für Musikforschung)
This museum plus library, part of the “State Institute for Musical Research,” collects and displays musical instruments of European music from the 16th to the 21st century. Many of the collection’s instruments are out of the ordinary. Some 800 out of 3,300 items are on permanent display. The Musical Instruments Museum has a unique collection that includes wind instruments from St. Wenzel zu Naumburg, a nearly complete range of instruments once used by a group of traveling pipers in the early 17th century. Other highlights include a violin built by Antonio Stradivari, a portable harpsichord once owned by Prussia’s Queen Sophie Charlotte, flutes from the collection of Frederick the Great, Benjamin Franklin’s glass harmonica, and the imposing Mighty Wurlitzer theater organ owned by the influential Von Siemens family. Special tours and concerts (from jazz to classical) are also offered. Special exhibit: “From Baroque to Bluegrass” runs from 1 Feb. to 4 June 2023. See the website link above for current information.
Location: Near the Philharmonic Hall and the Kulturforum, across from the Sony Center, the museum entrance is on Ben-Gurion-Straße. Closed Mondays. Nearest U-Bahn and S-Bahn stop: Potsdamer Platz.

Subterranean Berlin (Berliner Unterwelten)
Like the Berlin Story Museum mentioned above, Subterranean Berlin is based in a former World War II bunker. This one, originally built as part of the Gesundbrunnen S-Bahn station, is much larger, living up to its German name: Berliner Unterwelten (“Berlin Underworlds”). Founded in 1997, Subterranean Berlin is owned and operated by the German not-for-profit organization Berliner Unterwelten e.V. (Berlin Underworlds Association). Reflecting its size and range, Subterranean Berlin offers four separate and distinct guided tours in various locations: Tour 1 (Dark Worlds, 90 minutes), Tour 2 (From Flak Towers to Mountains of Debris, 90 minutes; only from April to the end of October), Tour 3 (Bunkers, Subways and the Cold War, 90 minutes), and Tour M (Under the Berlin Wall, 2 hours). Each tour has its own meeting place, time and date. For all of the tours, participants must purchase tickets online, in advance (up to 30 days). The museum’s Online-Shop also sells books related to the tours and their history.
Location: Brunnenstraße 105, Berlin (Gesundbrunnen S-Bahn station); tour meeting points vary, see ticket.

More Unusual, Weird, Quirky Museums in Berlin
Later we hope to add more about the following museum curiosities in the German capital. In the meantime, you can visit the websites we list for more information. Also see our Berlin City Guide.

Bud Spencer Museum
Well known in Germany for his films, Bud Spencer’s real name was Carlo Pedersoli. He died in 2016 at the age of 86. The Italian-born actor often teamed with his compatriot Mario Girotti, screen name: Terrence Hill. Location: Unter den Linden 10, 10117 Berlin
WEB: budspencer-museum.com

Computer Games Museum (Computerspielemuseum)
This museum traces the development of digital video games by means of over 300 rare original exhibits, playable classics, and media productions. Location: Karl-Marx-Allee 93a, 10243 Berlin
WEB: Computerspielemuseum

Disgusting Food Museum
While it may seem like a culinary cabinet of horrors, this museum of odd cuisine from around the world turns out to be a valuable lesson in how taste can vary according to individual and cultural preferences. Brave visitors can even sample items from the museum’s tasting bar. Location: Schützenstraße 70, 10117 Berlin
WEB: Disgusting Food Museum

Stasi Museum
Located in the former headquarters of the infamous GDR Ministry for State Security (Stasi), this museum very authentically recreates the chilling atmosphere of a place that once inspired terror in citizens of the GDR. Exhibits and guided tours take visitors to various locations within the large complex, helping them learn how the Stasi spied on East Germany’s citizens – and imprisoned them for violations. Location: Ruschestr. 103, 10365 Berlin
WEB: stasi-museum.de

– HF