On May 10, 1933, Bebelplatz, then known as Opernplatz, became the site of a grim event orchestrated by Nazi Propaganda Minister Josef Goebbels. It was here, across from Humboldt University, that Goebbels organized the burning of 20,000 books. These books were authored by individuals deemed "immoral" by the Nazis, including renowned writers such as Thomas and Heinrich Mann, Arnold Zweig, Kurt Tucholsky, and Sigmund Freud.
Today, a monument stands as a solemn reminder of this historical event, though it attributes the act to Nazi students. Located in the section of Bebelplatz bordered by the Opera House and Humboldt University, the monument is easy to overlook at first glance. Its placement is underground, marked by a piece of plexiglass set into the ground at the center of the square.
Through this plexiglass, viewers can peer into a stark, white room beneath the surface. The room is lined with empty, white bookcases, symbolizing the 20,000 books that were once burned above. This emptiness speaks volumes about the loss of ideas and knowledge that occurred here.
The book burning at Bebelplatz foreshadowed darker times ahead. Among the authors whose works were destroyed was Heinrich Heine, a Jewish philosopher and writer. His words from an 1821 play resonate with chilling accuracy: "This was only the foreplay. Where they burn books, they will also burn people." Sadly, his prediction came true.
Source - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bebelplatz
This aeronautical experimental park on the grounds of Germany's first air field Johannisthal consists of a group of several individual technical monuments such as the walkable Großer Windkanal (High-speed wind channel, 1932–34), the Trudelturm (Fatty tower), a vertical wind tunnel for spinning tests (1934–36), the Schallgedämpfter Motorenprüfstand (Sound-insulated engine test bed, 1933–35) and the Isothermische Kugellabore (Adlershofer Busen, Isothermal spheric laboratories, 1959–1961), which are about 500 metres away from the other monuments.
It is the only hemp museum in Germany; you can see the history of hemp, the culture and use of it. You can see hemp grow. There is a cafe downstairs, with an open WiFi access. Everything going on here is legal - including the hemp growing under artificial light (a low THC strain grown with a special permit) - but they do not refrain from political commentary on the legal situation of cannabis in their exhibits.
With an impressive, circus-tent-like roof over its courtyard and remains of the pre-war Hotel Esplanade incorporated into the modern structure.
Specializes in 19th-century painting and sculpture; Monet, Manet, Cézanne, C. David Friedrich and other important 18th- and 19th-century artists are well-represented.
It was the only border crossing between East and West Berlin that permitted foreigners passage. Residents of East and West Berlin were not allowed to use it. This contributed to Checkpoint Charlie's mythological status as a meeting place for spies and other shady individuals. Checkpoint Charlie gained its name from the phonetic alphabet; checkpoints "Alpha" and "Bravo" were at the autobahn checkpoints Helmstedt and Dreilinden respectively. Checkpoint Charlie's atmosphere was not improved at all on 27 Oct 1961 when the two Cold War superpowers chose to face each other down for a day. Soviet and American tanks stood approximately 200 m apart, making an already tense situation worse. Now the remains of the Berlin Wall have been moved to permit building, including construction of the American Business Center and other institutions.At the intersection of Zimmerstraße and Friedrichstraße (U-Bahn Kochstraße U6) is the famous "You Are Leaving the American Sector" sign. The actual guardhouse from Checkpoint Charlie is now housed at the Allied Museum on Clayallee. For a more interesting exhibit go to the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie. This is a private museum with kitschy memorabilia from the Wall and the devices GDR residents used to escape the East (including a tiny submarine!). There are also people who set up booths here offering to stamp your passport with souvenir stamps in exchange for a small fee. You are highly advised not to put these stamps in your passport, as these are not official stamps and could invalidate it. Instead, bring along an expired passport or a small booklet to put the stamps in.
Designed by Hans Poelzig in 1929, it is the first self-contained broadcasting house in the world and it is still in use today.
Also known as "Picasso und seine Zeit", this not so large, but precious museum hosts a very good collection of paintings and sculptures signed by Picasso, Klee, Matisse, Giacometti, and others from the first decades of the 20th century.
It was a museum of applied arts and a listed historical monument since 1966, and it is now a well-known Berlin exhibition hall.