A small late-classical castle stands in Biesdorf, set within a calm park that invites slow walks on bright days. The building dates to 1868 and was designed by architect Martin Gropius, the uncle of Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius. Around 1900, the von Siemens family made changes to the castle and expanded the surrounding grounds. Today, the restored park offers open lawns, mature trees, and pathways suited to an easy stroll when the sun is out.
The castle reflects the restrained elegance of late classicism, with balanced proportions and clean lines. Martin Gropius’s design gave the house a refined, villa-like character rather than fortress features. Decades later, the von Siemens family updated parts of the structure and reshaped the landscape, giving the estate a more generous layout. These layers of change remain visible in the building’s silhouette and in the park’s broad vistas.
Schloss and Schlosspark Biesdorf sit a short walk from two public transport stops. From central Berlin, take the S5 to Biesdorf station and continue on foot for a few minutes. The U5 to Elsterwerdaer Platz offers another nearby option, with similarly easy access to the grounds.
Museum established in 1888, with a collection of 3,500 instruments.
The area to the north of Tiergarten, along the bow of the river Spree (Spreebogen), is home to the German federal institutions such as the parliament (Bundestag, in the historic Reichstag building) and the federal government, as well as the new central train station (Hauptbahnhof) across the river.
This museum describes the procedures applied by the East German secret police. Every Friday to Monday, there is a guided tour in English at 15:00 (5€).
This outdoor and indoor history museum documents the terror applied by the Nazi regime. It is on the site of buildings which during the Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945 were the headquarters of the Gestapo and the SS, the principal instruments of repression during the Nazi era.
The former Imperial General Post Office, now Museum for telecommunication and post with many interesting historical objects.
This abandoned amusement park with its iconic large Ferris wheel opened in the German Democratic Republic in 1969. After its closing in 2002 the rotting theme park and its apocalyptic atmosphere became a target of international media coverage, amongst others by the New York Times. In 2016 it was announced that the venue will be restored and reopened as an art and culture park.
A cuboid made of concrete. On the front side of the cuboid is a window, through which visitors can see a short film of two kissing men. The video will be changed every two years and will also show kissing lesbians.
Designed by Daniel Libeskind with an excellent exposition on the Jewish life in Berlin and the impact of the Holocaust. You can easily spend a day here. There is a metal scanner and other security features you'd rather expect at an airport than a museum.