With a staggering 175 museums, Berlin is a treasure trove for aesthetic travellers. While cranes litter the skyline and town adjustments nearly past recognition, it’s nonetheless steeped in a monumental historical past, with a love of the archaic and aesthetic. It’s a metropolis that’s not afraid to look to its personal previous to make clear its future.
Masking the whole lot from pc video games to the darkly absurd Stasi surveillance strategies, there really is a Berlin museum for everybody. If you happen to’re used to the free museums in London, the entry charges can appear a little bit steep. However with a little bit of planning you’ll be able to nonetheless get your tradition repair on a backpacker’s funds, particularly for those who e-book a keep in one among Berlin’s best hostels. There are a number of free museums in Berlin, plus for those who plan to go to multiple handle on this record, then a Berlin museum cross can prevent a great deal of cash. Strive the 24-hour Berlin Museum Island Pass (which supplies you entry to the 5 of the very best museums in Berlin for €18, as an alternative of €10-12 every) or the Welcome Card (which supplies you free and decreased entry to a great deal of museums and different sights, plus limitless public transport – from €19.90).
So which Berlin museums do you have to make a beeline for? Right here’s our choose of the very best.
1. Neues Museum
? @rafiich
? @mischenfrau
? @mischenfrau
Constructed within the nineteenth century by one among Berlin’s most well-known and prolific architects, Friedrich August Stüler, the New Museum (“Neues Museum”) was all however destroyed throughout WW2. It remained a bombed out damage for years beneath GDR rule, earlier than being restored and reopened by British architect David Chipperfield in 1999. The brand new constructing, constructed from recycled bricks and retaining some authentic parts, is an beautiful mixture of outdated and new, or in Chipperfield’s phrases: “The modern displays the misplaced, however with out imitating it.”
Contained in the beautiful constructing you’ll discover a huge assortment of Egyptian artwork and classical antiquities, plus one of many metropolis’s most well-known artefacts: the bust of Nefertiti. Created in 1345 B.C, it’s some of the copied items of Egyptian artwork ever and really is a factor of magnificence.
📍 Handle: Bodestraße 1-3, 10178 Berlin
💶 Worth: €12
✨ Why Go to: Dwelling to the legendary bust of Nefertiti, and unbelievable Egyptian and prehistoric collections.
💡 Insider’s Tip: “Go to early to skip queues and luxuriate in displays calmly.”
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2. Berlin Wall Memorial
? @emma.v.martell
? @emma.v.martell
If you happen to actually wish to perceive the Berlin Wall, skip the crowds on the East Facet Gallery and Checkpoint Charlie and head to this transferring and completely free museum simply north of the centre. The museum explains how and why the wall took place, with footage of its development. A viewing platform means that you can see a piece of the wall because it was, full with dying strip and watchtowers, while plaques at floor stage mark the various escape tunnels dug by determined East Germans, with details about how many individuals died or escaped there.
This is without doubt one of the most transferring museums in Berlin, and actually helps those that didn’t expertise the horror first hand perceive the impression of the Berlin Wall on extraordinary individuals’s lives.
📍 Handle: Bernauer Straße 111, 13355 Berlin
💶 Worth: Free
✨ Why Go to: Genuine web site preserving Berlin Wall remnants and highly effective historic documentation.
💡 Insider’s Tip: “Be a part of a guided tour for compelling tales from locals.”
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3. Pergamon Museum – (Closed for renovation till 2027)
? @jackhu_
? @eliserouges89
That is one among Germany’s most visited museums, and with good motive. It homes extraordinary reconstructions of archaeological excavations together with the Pergamon Altar, the Market Gate of Miletus, the Mshatta Facade and the Ishtar Gate and Processional Means from Babylon. If you happen to fancy gazing in awe at one thing huge and decadent, that is the place to do it.
📍 Handle: Bodestraße 1-3, 10178 Berlin
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4. Stasi Museum
? @zkh_color
? Stasi Museum / ASTAK e.V, / John Steer
Situated within the former Stasi HQ, this museum is a should for followers of the Oscar-winning basic The Lives Of Others, which was shot right here. Strolling across the enormous, austere workplaces and boardrooms, you’ll get a chilling perception into life in East Berlin beneath Socialist rule. Hold a watch out for the primitive covert surveillance gadgets, that includes cameras clumsily hidden in watering cans, ties and behind buttons. What makes a go to to this Berlin museum so memorable, moreover the aesthetics, is the unsettling mixture of eeriness and absurdity.
📍 Handle: Ruschestraße 103, 10365 Berlin
💶 Worth: €10 (Adults), €8 (College students)
✨ Why Go to: Discover the key world of East Germany’s infamous state safety. Genuine workplaces preserved simply as they had been throughout the Chilly Conflict.
💡 Insider’s Tip: “Don’t skip the guided tour—listening to private tales from former East Germans makes this an unforgettable go to.”
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5. Jewish Museum Berlin
? @lavenderdiesel
? @robertachessari
? @smuffie
Opened in 2001, in an outdated baroque constructing re-imagined by world-famous architect Daniel Libeskind, it is a massively vital and well-liked Berlin museum. The everlasting exhibition focuses on Jewish life in Germany by way of historical past, with artworks, texts, and loads of interactive parts. For a number of Euros you’ll be able to even buy a bit of artwork by a gifted Berlin-based Jewish artist from a merchandising machine. In fact, the museum additionally explores the devastating interval for Jews in Berlin main as much as and through WW2. Seen alongside the opposite displays, the all-too-familiar information of the holocaust are by some means all of the extra disturbing.
📍 Handle: Lindenstraße 9-14, 10969 Berlin
💶 Worth: €8 (Adults), €3 (College students), Free beneath 18
✨ Why Go to: Architect Daniel Libeskind’s thought-provoking design hosts highly effective displays on Jewish historical past and tradition.
💡 Insider’s Tip: “Spend further time within the ‘Backyard of Exile’—it’s an extremely transferring, reflective house.”
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6. Pure Historical past Museum
? @trash4gold
? @hzr_93
When is a museum greater than a museum? Properly, when that museum can also be a analysis facility, devoted to the research of life and planet Earth, that means a continuously evolving assortment as new and vital discoveries are made. The gathering consists of over 30 million gadgets and counting – extra are being added as you learn this – overlaying zoology, palaeontology, geology and mineralogy. Meaning there are bugs and rocks and snails and lizards and fossils and fishes, birds, mammals, snakes, frogs, vegetation, meteorites, you identify it…
📍 Handle: Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin
💶 Worth: €8
✨ Why Go to: Dinosaurs, fossils, and immersive displays for all ages.
💡 Insider’s Tip: “Nice for households—don’t miss the T-Rex!”
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7. Museum Berggruen
? Staatliche Museen zu Berlin / hc-krass.de
? @lizzieenudd
Don’t be postpone by its location on the western outskirts of town; this is without doubt one of the greatest museums in Berlin and residential to some severely spectacular works from the likes of Giacometti, Picasso, Klee and Matisse. Though it doesn’t look it on the map, this Berlin trendy artwork museum, positioned subsequent door to Charlottenburg Palace, is definitely surprisingly simple to succeed in with a quick S-Bahn prepare from Alexanderplatz within the centre taking round half-hour.
📍 Handle: Schloßstraße 1, 14059 Berlin
💶 Worth: €10
✨ Why Go to: Unimaginable artworks by Picasso, Klee, Matisse.
💡 Insider’s Tip: “Mix with Charlottenburg Palace go to.”
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8. Topography of Terror
? @psfitz
? Stefan Müller / Stiftung Topographie des Terrors
This free Berlin museum focuses on the horrible crimes that Hitler’s SS dedicated all through Europe, with pictures and texts, in addition to audio and movie recordings. Situated on the location of its former headquarters, the open-air exhibition is a stunning, sobering expertise, and does what any good museum ought to do: it makes you replicate on what it’s to be alive.
📍 Handle: Niederkirchnerstraße 8, 10963 Berlin
💶 Worth: Free
✨ Why Go to: Constructed on the previous Gestapo and SS headquarters web site, this museum delivers a robust lesson on Nazi Germany.
💡 Insider’s Tip: “Mix your go to with Checkpoint Charlie close by for deeper perception into Berlin’s advanced historical past.”
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9. Previous Nationwide Gallery
? @jess_eason
? papaque_
Dreamed up by King Friedrich Wilhelm IV, who imagined a “sanctuary for artwork and science”, the museum is a temple-like constructing dwelling to a rare artwork assortment, together with Romantic and Impressionist masterpieces, works by Manet, Monet, Cezanne, Schinkel, and a world-class assortment of work by German Realist Adolph Menzel. The seed of the Previous Nationwide Gallery (“Alte Nationalgalerie”) dates again to a present from a banker within the nineteenth century, placing pay to the frequent notion that each one bankers are depraved and grasping people (a minimum of, they didn’t was once!).
📍 Handle: Bodestraße 1-3, 10178 Berlin
💶 Worth: €10
✨ Why Go to: Romantic and impressionist masterpieces.
💡 Insider’s Tip: “Head straight to Monet’s works.”
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10. Bode Museum
? @unn_chonlasuek
? @roberteveiller
This exquisitely designed museum, extensively renovated and reopened in 2006, primarily displays sculptures, together with masterpieces resembling Donatello’s ‘Pazzi Madonna’ and Antonio Canova’s ‘Dancer’, the long-lasting ‘Tarquinius und Lucretia’ by Petro Tacca, in addition to an vital German sculpture by Tilman Riemenschneider and Ignaz Günther. There’s additionally a powerful assortment of Byzantine artwork starting from the third to the fifteenth century, together with carvings, mosaics and spiritual objects. As you stroll across the museum among the many relics and statues, you’ll begin to really feel a beautiful calm descend.
📍 Handle: Am Kupfergraben, 10117 Berlin
💶 Worth: €10, included in Museum Island cross
✨ Why Go to: Famend for its excellent assortment of sculptures, Byzantine artwork, and historic cash housed inside beautiful baroque structure.
💡 Insider’s Tip: “Go to at sundown—views from the doorway are completely lovely, overlooking the River Spree.”
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11. DDR Museum
? DDR Museum, Berlin 2017
? @sarahmdub
Regardless of the doubtless dour subject material, the DDR Museum paints a captivating and surprisingly enjoyable and vibrant illustration of life in East Berlin earlier than the wall got here down. That is partly because of its interactive nature: ‘Every part is ready to be touched or felt’ right here. You’ll be able to have a poke across the reconstruction of an East German residence, gaudy wallpaper and all; discover out what it was like to sit down in an interrogation room; take heed to examples of East German pop music; and even discover the cheeky exhibition detailing the Communist fascination with nudity. The museum is noisy, vigorous, and altogether fairly surprising. Don’t neglect to strive a bottle of East German-style lemony cola (named “Vita Cola”) on the cafe afterwards. Very refreshing certainly.
📍 Handle: Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 1, 10178 Berlin
💶 Worth: €12.50 (Adults), €7 (College students)
✨ Why Go to: Interactive and immersive, expertise each day life in East Germany firsthand—from Trabants to genuine DDR residences.
💡 Insider’s Tip: “Have interaction with the displays! Sitting contained in the tiny Trabant automotive is at all times a enjoyable picture op.”
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12. Käthe Kollwitz Museum
? @mrsfrikiwoman
? @kristianthuesen
Devoted to one among Germany’s most influential feminine artists, the Käthe Kollwitz Museum homes the largest assortment of timeless drawings, etchings and sculptures. Housed in a grand residential constructing in West Berlin, these timeless works depict struggle, poverty, struggling, and love. There’s a deep sense of humanity in each work, and regardless of the usually bleak subject material, you’ll depart feeling reborn.
📍 Handle: Fasanenstraße 24, 10719 Berlin
💶 Worth: €7
✨ Why Go to: Deeply transferring artworks by influential artist Käthe Kollwitz.
💡 Insider’s Tip: “Reflective expertise—put together to be moved.”
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13. Previous Museum
? @markeyew
? @ro_basia
Housed in an iconic Neoclassical constructing that was accomplished in 1830, the Previous Museum (“Altes Museum”) accommodates town’s assortment of classical antiquities, together with works from historic Greece and the Roman Empire, and one of many largest collections of Etruscan artwork outdoors of Italy. Put together to be dazzled by bronzes, urns, statues, ceramics, carved ivory, valuable stones, vases and cultural artefacts.
📍 Handle: Am Lustgarten, 10178 Berlin
💶 Worth: €10 (included in Museum Island cross)
✨ Why Go to: Magnificent neoclassical structure and an spectacular assortment of classical antiquities, showcasing Greek, Roman, and Etruscan artefacts.
💡 Insider’s Tip: “Don’t miss the beautiful rotunda—good for pictures and soaking up the grand environment.“
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14. Deutsche Kinemathek – CLOSED
? Hans Scherhaufer / Deutsche Kinemathek
? Marian Stefanowski / Deutsche Kinemathek
Berlin’s function within the historical past of cinema can’t be understated: the film-making capital of Germany, town pioneered the horror movie (with iconic movies resembling Nosferatu and The Cupboard of Dr Caligari), science fiction (with Metropolis), and was an enormous affect on American cinema, with the Hollywood melodrama and crime genres of the Nineteen Fifties having their genesis in German movie. This wealthy historical past might be explored on the Kinemathek on Potsdamerplatz, a really trendy movie museum that delves again into the origin of the artform, and begins with a marvellously immersive stroll by way of a futuristic corridor of mirrors.
Handle: Potsdamer Straße 2, Mitte 10785
15. The Hohenschoenhausen (Stasi Jail)
? @foxxy_87
? Gedenkstätte Berlin-Hohenschönhausen/Gvoon
An enchanting and at instances scary museum, this former Stasi jail is a little bit manner out of town, and never a lot publicised, however properly well worth the go to. Machine gun towers, barbed wire, cells with out home windows, water torture services… this isn’t a spot for the faint-hearted. However, mixed with a go to to the Stasimuseum, it paints a needed and grim image of a infamous period in Berlin’s historical past. The guided excursions are sometimes led by former inmates of the jail, and are properly value doing.
📍 Handle: Genslerstraße 66, 13055 Berlin
💶 Worth: Free (guided excursions really helpful, donations welcomed)
✨ Why Go to: Expertise a chilling but important perception into East Germany’s infamous Stasi jail, guided by former inmates for genuine private accounts.
💡 Insider’s Tip: “E-book a guided tour prematurely; it profoundly enhances your understanding of this sobering place.”
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16. Allied Museum
? @char.ro
If you happen to needed to see the precise guard’s sales space that was used at Checkpoint Charlie, don’t go to Friedrichstraße, however head to the Allied Museum in Zehlendorf. The museum seems at what life was like within the Western half of the divided metropolis after the Second World Conflict, when it was occupied by the People, British and French, proper as much as when the Allies withdrew in 1994. Situated in a former US Military cinema, close to what used to the be headquarters of the US Military in Berlin, the Allied Museum has a wealth of intriguing displays, together with a phase of an American and British spy tunnel used to take heed to Soviet communications, and an impressive RAF Hastings airplane used within the Chilly Conflict-era airlift, in response to the Soviet Union blocking provide routes to West Berlin.
📍 Handle: Clayallee 135, 14195 Berlin
💶 Worth: Free
✨ Why Go to: Discover the intriguing historical past of Allied forces in Berlin after WWII, together with authentic Checkpoint Charlie sales space and Chilly Conflict espionage displays.
💡 Insider’s Tip: “Don’t miss the RAF Hastings airplane outdoors—good for Chilly Conflict historical past buffs.”
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17. Currywurst museum
? Deutsches Currywurst Museum Berlin
Okay, this one’s a little bit bit naff, however who can resist a novelty lifesize sausage? Not us. The museum is, after all, devoted to Berlin’s iconic streetfood dish, which consists of diced sausage smothered in a curried sauce and served with chips. Within the museum you’ll study how the dish was invented within the Forties and what substances go into making this beloved snack, earlier than tasting it for your self while sitting on a settee formed like – you guessed it – a large sausage.
📍 Handle: Bülowstraße 7, 10783 Berlin
💶 Worth: Free
✨ Why Go to: Uncover a vibrant celebration of road artwork and modern city tradition, showcasing unbelievable murals and art work from world artists.
💡 Insider’s Tip: “Discover close by streets, as beautiful road artwork continues outdoors the museum partitions!”
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18. Ramones Museum
? @lollieoliver
? @la_mescalita
Based in 2005, this museum appeal to followers of the long-lasting, influential New York rock band from far and large. It’s the solely one among its sort and shows over 1000 authentic artefacts from The Ramones, spanning the band’s profession from 1974 to 1996, and together with posters, unpublished pictures, signed memorabilia, stage clothes, devices, handwritten letters, track lyrics, and strange merchandise. Afterwards, you’ll be able to spend money on a cool Ramones T-shirt within the reward store. Hey, ho, it is best to go…
Handle: Oberbaumstraße 5, Kreuzberg 10997
Admission: €3.50
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19. Pc Video games Museum
? @bonominilali
? Jörg Metzner / Computerspielmuseum
The museum opened in 2011 with over 300 displays that take you from the origins of the videogame (keep in mind Pong?) proper as much as its astounding, ongoing improvement into digital actuality and past. This can be a fantastic museum, and the very best bit is, you’ll be able to play pc video games outdated and new, together with arcade machines of Donkey Kong, Asteroids and House Invaders. It’s not solely an fulfilling nostalgia journey, however you’ll come out pondering “I’ve seen the longer term.”
📍 Handle: Oberbaumstraße 5, 10997 Berlin
💶 Worth: €3.50
✨ Why Go to: A must-see for music lovers, that includes over 1,000 authentic artefacts from legendary punk rock band The Ramones, together with uncommon memorabilia.
💡 Insider’s Tip: “Seize a espresso within the café afterwards and choose up distinctive Ramones merchandise!”
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20. Märkisches Museum
? @rodykle
? Stadtmuseum Berlin / christina Sieber
Situated on the banks of the Spree, that is an exhibition of artefacts associated to the tradition and and historical past of town, with a everlasting exhibit, ‘Right here is Berlin!’, the place you’ll be able to stroll by way of the streets and districts of Berlin and expertise how Berlin has modified over the course of a number of centuries (and afterwards, after all, step outdoors and see what town is like proper now).
📍 Handle: Am Köllnischen Park 5, 10179 Berlin
💶 Worth: €4
✨ Why Go to: Provides a fascinating perception into Berlin’s wealthy historical past and concrete tradition, with displays spanning centuries of town’s fascinating improvement.
💡 Insider’s Tip: “Stroll alongside the close by River Spree after your go to for lovely views of historic Berlin.”
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🚇 Berlin Museum Passes: Save Cash on Entry Charges
Visiting a number of museums? A museum cross may prevent cash and trouble:
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🎟️ Berlin Museum Island Go (€18) – Entry to 5 prime museums on Museum Island.
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🏛️ Berlin Welcome Card (€19.90+) – Discounted museum tickets + limitless public transport.
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🎨 Berlin Go (€99) – Entry to 50+ sights, together with museums and guided excursions.
💡 Insider’s Tip: If you happen to plan to go to 2 or extra museums, a cross will usually be cheaper than particular person tickets!
🎭 Quirky & Offbeat Museums in Berlin
Uninterested in conventional museums? Strive these distinctive picks:
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🏍️ Designpanoptikum – A weird assortment of surreal mechanical objects.
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🧪 Science Middle Spectrum – Enjoyable, interactive science displays.
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👽 Monsterkabinett – A creepy underground robotic artwork museum.
💡 Insider’s Tip: Berlin has museums for actually the whole lot—even sausages and spies!
📸 Instagram-Worthy Museums & Photograph Spots
Searching for aesthetic backdrops? These museums are good for social media snaps:
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🏛️ Bode Museum – Beautiful neoclassical structure on Museum Island.
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🎨 East Facet Gallery – World’s largest open-air road artwork museum.
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✨ City Nation Museum – Vibrant murals and trendy installations.
💡 Insider’s Tip: Go to early morning or on weekdays for the very best pictures with out crowds!
🔥 Greatest Time to Go to Berlin Museums
📅 Wish to keep away from lengthy queues and take advantage of your time?
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🗓️ Weekdays (Tue-Thu) – Fewer crowds, higher museum expertise.
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⏰ Mornings (Earlier than 11 AM) – Greatest time to go to well-liked museums like Neues Museum & DDR Museum.
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🌙 Museum Night time (Lange Nacht der Museen) – Go to 75+ museums after darkish, with particular occasions!
💡 Insider’s Tip: Test museum web sites at no cost entry days—many provide reductions on sure evenings!
🎒 Packing Ideas for a Museum Day in Berlin
💡 Planning a full day of museum-hopping? Right here’s what to convey:
✅ Comfy footwear – You’ll be strolling A LOT.
✅ Gentle backpack – Some museums require bag checks.
✅ Museum cross / scholar ID – Reductions accessible!
✅ Pocket book / cellphone – Jot down your favorite displays.
✅ Water & snacks – Some museums have cafes, however they are often dear!
💡 Insider’s Tip: Test if lockers can be found, particularly for those who’re carrying an enormous bag.
🌟 Closing Ideas: Berlin’s Museums – The place Historical past Meets Inspiration
Berlin’s museums are extra than simply buildings full of artefacts—they’re portals into the soul of town. From historic wonders to cutting-edge modern artwork, every museum tells a narrative, providing a glimpse into Berlin’s previous, current, and future.
For historical past buffs, Berlin is a dwelling museum, with remnants of the Berlin Wall and Chilly Conflict espionage nonetheless shaping the cityscape. For artwork lovers, town pulses with creativity, from classical masterpieces to vibrant road artwork. And for the curious traveller, Berlin’s museums provide an opportunity to see the world by way of totally different views.
“Berlin is just not a metropolis that forgets. It’s a metropolis that transforms.”
So, whether or not you’re strolling by way of the halls of Neues Museum, standing earlier than a large T-Rex skeleton, or stepping inside a Chilly Conflict surveillance room, keep in mind: you’re not simply visiting museums—you’re getting into tales, feelings, and historical past itself.
Go discover, get impressed, and let Berlin’s museums blow your thoughts! 🚀🎨🏛️
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