HISTORY & POLITICS
Historical City Walks
Guided walks around Berlin offer groups the chance to see details that are easy to miss by bus. Topics include Historical Berlin, Jewish Life in Berlin, Along the Berlin Wall, Berlin under the Swastika.
The Story of Berlin
This interactive museum shows life in Berlin over the last 800 years. One highlight of the exhibition is a guided tour through an original nuclear bomb shelter from the Cold War below the Kurfürstendamm which still can be used by 3,600 persons in case of an emergency.
The Reichstag
The home of the German Parliament. The public may visit and not only see a panoramic view of Berlin but also the history of the building in photos. A must see.
German Historical Museum
Guided tours focus on any one of eight different periods from the museum’s permanent collection covering 1,500 years of German history.
Periods include:
1918-1933 Weimar Republic
1933-1945 NS Regime & WWII
1945-1949 Germany under Allied Occupation
1949-1994 Divided Germany & Reunification
Guided Tour of Olympic Stadium
The site’s conception is characterised by the architecture of the Third Reich, and the Olympic Stadium remains typical of this style. Today, it hosts major events and concerts featuring international stars.
Luftwaffe Museum
An old aircraft hangar houses much of the exhibition, which includes information on the history of the Luftwaffe as well as fighter and surveillance planes.
Berlin Bunker Tours
A collection of tunnels and bunkers located deep underground which has played a key role in the city’s history. Tours on different historical themes are available including Dark Worlds: Experience WW2 bombing raids through the eyes of civilians.
Jewish Museum
In its permanent exhibition, the Jewish Museum Berlin presents the history of Jewish life in Germany from the Middle Ages until the present. The building is spectacular and has a large garden and café. A key visit for any students studying Nazi Germany.
Wannsee Conference Memorial House
This beautiful villa and grounds on the lake are where the plans of the Final Solution were drawn up. Today there is a museum about the Holocaust and its organisation with a large exhibition, and a memorial to those who died.
Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp
Between 1936 and 1945, more than 200,000 people were imprisoned in Sachsenhausen. There is a museum, memorial hall and cinema where films about the history of the camp are shown every hour. The camp prison still stands, as does one barrack block, which has been restored.
Neue Wache Memorial
After damage during WW2, the memorial became the Memorial to the victims of fascism and militarism. It is now considered to be a memorial to the victims of WW2 in Germany.
Bebelplatz Square
The Bebelplatz is a public square wherein 1933 it became the site of the book burning ceremony in which 20,000 books by Jewish authors were set alight.
Holocaust Memorial
A 4.7-acre site covered with 2,711 concrete slabs paying tribute to the Jews lost in the Holocaust. An emotional and imposing addition to the landscape of central Berlin.
Berlin Wall Panorama
The Panorama offers a visualisation of life in the shadow of the Wall. Viewed from a 4m high platform you are immersed in scenes and stories of people going about their everyday lives in the divided Berlin of the 1980s. An accompanying photo exhibition provides further insight into those times as well as when the Wall fell.
ART & DESIGN
Brohan Museum
The museum specialises in Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Functionalism. The collection has two areas of primary interest: decorative arts and painting. It also houses a collection of porcelain and metal.
Museum of Prints and Drawings
It is recognised as one of the world’s finest collections of graphic art with 110,000 drawings and about 550,000 prints, including works by great artists ranging from Dürer to Picasso and Beuys.
The Pergamon Museum
The Pergamon Museum is one of the world’s largest archaeological museums. It has three separate museums: the Collection of Classical Antiquities, the Museum of the Ancient Near East and the Museum of Islamic Art.
The Alte National Gallery
The Alte National gallery (Old National Gallery) in Berlin is a gallery showing a collection of Neoclassical, Romantic, Biedermeier, Impressionist and early Modernist art.
Art walking tours
Street art workshop and tour– students can spray their own piece of stencil art. Alternative tour– 3-hour tour about different subcultures in Berlin such as urban art and history.
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS
BMW Motorbikes
The production areas that can be visited vary depending on the internal production requirements. No photographs may be taken at BMW’s Berlin plant. Visitors are requested to leave their cameras and video equipment with the security officers at the entrance for the duration of the visit. Not suitable for visitors in wheelchairs.
Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB)
A behind-the-scenes look at the TV and radio studios once used as a transmitting station by the Russians, then handed over to the West. Recent visits have included a tour of the filming of a popular German soap opera and a quiz show.
KPM World
The KPM tour offers an inspiring exhibition of Berlin´s royal porcelain and a workshop where your students can catch a glimpse of traditional porcelain making. Visit the original kilns in the historic kiln hall and the moulds archive which shows all designers and their significant forms.
ARD – TV Studio Tour
The ARD Capital Studio is responsible for reporting on domestic politics for more than 50 ARD radio channels and the two German public broadcasting TV channels. The tours offer the perfect opportunity to get a glimpse of the TV and radio studios and experience how news is made. The studios also offer a specialist visit for schools ‘Media Studies for Schools’ for groups of up to 25 people.
Berlin Museum of Communication
The interactive stations invite people to explore the basics of communication in a fun and entertaining way: How has communication changed over the centuries? How do media influence our private communication? Guided tours and workshops are available.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Autostadt
The Volkswagen factory prides itself on being the largest auto plant in the world. It is comprised of the Zeithaus car museum, 7 pavilions dedicated to the various VW cars, their art and their sustainability, and of course the factory itself, which the students can tour. Another highlight is the glass elevator which takes you to the top of the 160 feet high glass Car Tower, which holds up to 800 custom-ordered cars fresh from the factory.
Phaeno—The World of Phenomena
Explore the mysteries in nature, science and technology, how tornados, anti-gravity forces, geysers and luminous gases are formed. Interact with 350 experimental stations, where you determine and influence the outcome. The exhibition is housed within a state of the art building, itself a phenomenon, as it appears to hover above the ground.
Berlin Life Science Learning Lab
Every day students, their teachers and other groups are taught about the basics of genetics, gene technology and genome research. Examples of some of the experiments students can participate in are: isolating DNA from a tomato, solving a fictitious crime through DNA analysis and finding out about the use of genetic engineering in biomedical research using fluorescent Zebrafish.
Museum für Naturkunde
One of the most significant institutions of its kind in the world, with more than 30 million objects in the scientific collection and a fascinating exhibition.
CITY HIGHLIGHTS
Spree River Cruise
A cruise along the River Spree flows through old and New Berlin. The Historical tour, a one-hour round trip, includes highlights such as Palace of Republic, Berlin Cathedral, Museum Island and the Reichstag. Combination tickets are available to include the hop on hop off bus.
Berlin TV Tower
The tallest structure in Germany, the Berlin TV Tower was constructed as a symbol for Berlin by the administration of the German Democratic Republic. Easily visible throughout central and some suburban districts of Berlin, this is a great visit in the daytime to see some of the sites around the capital. There is an express elevator which reaches the 203m high observation deck in around 30 seconds.
Panorama Punkt
The fastest lift in Europe takes just 20 seconds to reach the viewing platform of the Kollhoff Tower, 100 metres above. Potsdamer Platz offers a fascinating view of Berlin. This spot is particularly poignant as it stands directly where the Berlin Wall once divided the city. To the east, you can see the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, the Cathedral, and the TV Tower. To the west, you can see the Chancellor’s Office, Bellevue Palace and the Memorial Church.