The Topography of Terror in Berlin

From glory to oblivion, the history of the Documentation Center

This huge museum was built where the main ones once stood government buildings of the III Reich. In fact, a few steps away were the Headquarters and Gestapo prison, the Imperial State Police, the General Command of the SS and Central Security of the III Reich.

photo via howdoyoumeasure525600minutes

Haunted by these bulky ghosts of the past, after the Second World War, the area was completely abandoned and the buildings, before being demolished, even became warehouses.

Only in the late 80s, after decades of silence, did the German administration decide to gather in one photographic exhibition all the images and documents belonging to the Nazi era and found in the former government districts.

What to see in the Topography of Terror

The building houses temporary exhibitions e permanent in which there is a complete trace of the historical and political path of the National Socialist empire created by Hitler.

photo via ais.badische-zeitung.de

La permanent exhibition focuses on the organs of power of the Third Reich: from the SS to the Gestapo, documenting the various crimes committed throughout Europe. The huge panels, with the very rare photographic shots, are divided by 5 thematic areas different:

1. The rise to power of National Socialism
2. The institutions of terror
3.  Terror, Persecution and Extermination in the Third Reich
4.  Employment abroad
5. The end of the war and the second postwar period.

Le temporary exhibitions they are often organized outside, right on a part of the Berlin Wall and where the walls of government buildings once stood. The topics dealt with generally shake the mind of the visitor: from the life of the ghettos to the fire policy implemented against the Jews.

The rationalist architecture of the Topography of Terror

Twentieth-century Germany is not only Nazism, but also the cradle of the modern rational movement. Suffice it to say that a few steps from the Documentation Center stands the Matin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin, a real monument dedicated to modern architecture.

The Topography of Terror has been set up in an imposing building with regular and square shapes with large openings. The effect for the visitor is to enter a large structure where lights and shadows alternate, creating suggestions and unconscious senses of fear. The images on display confirm this state of mind.

Prices and opening hours

Admission is free for all and the structure is open every day from 10 to 18. From May to September the closing is postponed to 20.

What to see in the surroundings

We are located in one of the richest districts of Berlin: many ideas stimulate the visitor to a real dip in the history of the twentieth century, such as Checkpoint Charlie or Watchtower. For those looking for attractions to visit that ease the climate of tension, we recommend the Carrywurst Museum, the small but fun museum dedicated to the most consumed salami in the world. For the younger ones, the Game Science Center or Legoland Discovery Center, the colorful park based on the famous plastic bricks.

Where is the Topography of Terror

Address: Niederkirchnerstraße 8, 10963 Berlin

Stazioni U-Bahn U6, Kochstrasse o U2, Potsdamer Platz,

Stazione S-Bahn S1, S2, S25 Anhalterbahnhof o Potsdamer Platz