Guide to Topography of Terror in Berlin: Info, Tickets & Access

The Topography of Terror Documentation Center near Potsdamer Platz is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Berlin.

On the site of the former Nazi terror headquarters, visitors can explore Germany's darkest chapter under the Nazi dictatorship. The place of the perpetrators is today a place of remembrance and reminder.

In this guide, we tell you everything you need to know before visiting the memorial. This includes visitor information, such as admission, tickets and opening hours, the exhibition and the history of the historic site.

Let's go!

Things to do at the Topography of Terror in Berlin

The Topography of Terror deals with the reign of terror and the horrors of the National Socialists under the leadership of Adolf Hitler at the immediate site.

At that time of Nazi Germany, the area was home to the Gestapo (Secret State Police Office) with its own "house prison," the Reich SS Leader, the Security Service of the SS, and during World War II, the Reich Security Main Office.

Below you will find details about the exhibition:

1. Permanent Indoor Exhibition

The permanent exhibition called "Topography of Terror. Gestapo, SS and Reich Security Main Office in Wilhelm- and Prinz-Albrecht-Straße" deals with the crimes of the SS and police in the "Third Reich".

Documents and photos guide visitors through the five main themes:

• The National Socialist Takeover of Power (I)
• Institutions of Terror (SS and Police) (II)
• Terror, Persecution and Extermination on Reich Territory (III)
• SS and Reich Security Main Office in the Occupied Countries (IV)
• The End of the War and the Postwar Era (V)

2. Exhibition Trench

The permanent exhibition "Berlin 1933-1945. Between Propaganda and Terror" examines National Socialist policies in Berlin and their consequences for the German capital and its inhabitants.

The exhibition is presented - mostly in glass cases - along the exposed cellar wall remains in a trench.

The main topics are as follows:

• Berlin in the Weimar Republic (I)
• Establishing the Führer’s Dictatorship (II)
• Berlin and the “People’s Community” (III)
• Wartime in Berlin 1939–1945 (IV)
• Berlin and the Consequences of the Nazi Regime (V)

3. Site Tour

During the tour of the premises, visitors gain a deep insight into the history of the site, which housed the most important institutions of the National Socialist persecution and terror apparatus from 1933 to 1945.

The tour leads through the site via 15 stations, along which remnants of the Berlin Wall can also be seen. Information booths with photos, documents and 3D graphics provide information about each station in German and English.

Tip: Audio guides for the tour are available at the Documentation Center. If you are interested, you can contact the visitor service there.

4. Special Exhibitions

The Topography of Terror is constantly expanding its offerings with special and temporary exhibitions.

• An overview of the current special exhibitions can be found here.

Entrance, Tickets & Tours for the Topography of Terror in Berlin

• Entrance: The Topography of Terror is open from Monday to Sunday 10 am to 8 pm. The outdoor areas are accessible until nightfall (8 p.m. at the latest). The site is closed on December 24, 31 and January 1.
• Tickets: Admission to the Topography of Terror is free of charge.
• Tours: Free public tours take place on weekends in English (3:30 p.m.), German (2 p.m.) and Spanish (4:30 p.m.) for individual visitors. Those interested should arrive at the designated meeting points 15 minutes before the start of the tour. More information here.
• Travelers' Tip: If you want to learn more about Berlin during the Nazi era, you can explore the city's darkest chapter on your own with a self-guided audio tour. The audio tour "Berlin in the Third Reich" from our partner YourMobileGuide takes you to the most important sites that shed light on Berlin's Nazi past.

How to get to the Topography of Terror in Berlin?

• From Alexanderplatz: Take bus 200 and go eight stops to the "Leipziger Straße/Wilhelmstr." stop. From there it is a 5 minute walk.
• From Potsdamer Platz: Either walk about 11 minutes to the Topography of Terror or ride one stop on bus 200 or 300 to the "Leipziger Straße/Wilhelmstr." stop. From there it is another 5 minutes walk.

History & Facts about the Topography of Terror 

From 1933 to 1945, the most important control centers of the "Third Reich" were located on the grounds of today's Topography of Terror Documentation Center: the Office of the Secret State Police (Gestapo) with its own "house prison," the Reich SS Leader, the Security Service of the SS, and the Reich Security Main Office.

Among the horrors spread here by these Nazi persecution and terror apparatuses was the interrogation and torture of opponents of the regime - in most cases, their subsequent transfer to concentration and extermination camps. This is where Nazi terror was planned and directed: concentration and extermination camps were administered from here, campaigns coordinated and lists drawn up of Nazi opponents to be spied on.

In 1987, on the occasion of Berlin's 750th anniversary, the Topography of Terror was opened, originally as a temporary facility. After its success, the project became a foundation, initially dependent, then independent from 1995.

Contact & Map

• Address: Topography of Terror, Niederkirchnerstraße 8, 10963 Berlin, Germany.
• Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., outdoor areas until nightfall (8 p.m. at the latest).
• Public Transport: U6 to "Kochstraße/Checkpoint Charlie".
• Website: Topography-Of-Terror-Berlin

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