If you’re an American ancestral traveler visiting Berlin, there are many fascinating experiences to explore both the history of Germany and your own German roots. Yet, with a city that offers so many choices, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. So, based on my own visits, I picked these 7 top things to do in Berlin, so you can travel back in time.
A short history of Berlin (and Germany)
With over 180 nationalities that call Berlin their home, Berlin today is a very multicultural city. But that is not a new phenomenon. The story of Berlin starts in the 14th century when the city was founded at the river “Spree” as a small Margraviate of Brandenburg and later Brandenburg-Prussia.
Prussia’s rise to power
Prussia was originally in the area in and around Berlin, which is nowadays the federal state of Brandenburg. As Prussia grew, so did Berlin. The Prussian kings – King Friedrich Wilhelm I (1688-1740) – made it the centerpiece of culture, arts, and the army. He also promoted the immigration of Protestants and French Huguenot refugees, fueling the city’s expansion.
A city built by immigrants
The 19th century saw rapid growth and many new factories due to industrialization. This is also why towards the end of the 19th century, the number of Germans emigrating to America got less and more people from the countryside moved to the big industrialized cities within Germany, such as Berlin. At this time, only 40 % of Berliners were natives. The rest arrived from across Prussia and beyond.
Berlin in ruins
Bombing raids and fierce street battles left large parts of the city in ruins after World War II (1939-1945). After the war, Berlin was divided among the Allied powers and winners of the war (namely the USA, Great Britain, Russia and France). This led to the so-called “Cold War” and struggles between West and East. The government of West Germany moved to Bonn during this time.
German reunification until today
The so-called “peaceful revolution” of 1989 led to the Berlin Wall coming down after 28 years (it was built in 1961!). A year later, on 3rd of October 1990, the two Germanys were officially reunified. Berlin was re-named the capital of Germany and is now a major world city.
7 top things to do in Berlin to step into the history of Germany
1. Take your souvenir snap at the Brandenburg Gate
While you in Berlin, don’t forget to take your photo at the Brandenburg Gate – THE most famous symbol of Berlin and probably Germany as a whole.
The Brandenburg Gate is a 18th-century neoclassical monument and former city gate. It marked the start of the road from Berlin to Brandenburg an der Havel. King Frederick William II of Prussia ordered its construction from 1788 to 1791.
During the time the Berlin Wall was up (1961-1989), the Brandenburg Gate was located in a so-called “No-man’s-land”.
How to get there: The U‑Bahn stop is “Brandenburger Tor” (U55). You can also walk here from Berlin’s central train station (Hauptbahnhof) and pass by other Berlin landmarks, such as the Reichstag building (the seat of the German government).
2. Remember Germany’s dark past at the Holocaust Memorial and the adjoining museum
Just a few footsteps from the Brandenburg Gate, you will find the so-called Holocaust Memorial. This place is among the top things to do in Berlin because it’s important to remember the terrible things that happened in Germany and far beyond during the terror régime of the Nazis.
I can tell you that especially the inside of the museum is not for the faint-hearted, but it is nevertheless worthwhile visiting.
Extra Tip: Walking around the huge concretes of the memorial is a typical Berlin experience not to be missed, but do keep in mind that this is a site for commemorating a very serious crime in human history. So remember to show some respect. This is a not a playground.
In fact, walking through this memorial makes you feel like you are increasingly lost in a huge maze. And this is done on purpose of course to show us how the Jews and other people persecuted by the Nazis must have felt.
3. Check out Checkpoint Charlie
During the times of the Berlin Wall, the so-called “Checkpoint Charlie” used to be Berlin’s most important border crossing from the East (Russian sector) to the West (American sector).
And, as I learnt on one of my Berlin walking tours, this was also the site on which World War 3 nearly broke out due to an argument between an American and a Russian soldier.
Today, you can walk freely from one side to the other. You can also stand with one foot in the East and one foot in the West or simply cross the border without anyone checking your passport.
My museum tip here is the interactive experience “The Wall – assisi Panorama Berlin”. Here, you can travel back in time to a November day in the 1980s, when the Berlin Wall was still separating East and West Germany.
How to get there: U‑Bahn stop is “Kochstr. / Checkpoint Charlie”
4. See and touch “The Wall” at the Mauerpark
Speaking about the wall: You can still find pieces of the iconic Berlin Wall, a tangible link to the Cold War era, all over the city.
During the era the Berlin Wall was up between 1961 and 1989, people from East Germany were literally “locked in” and could not get out of the country (except to other Soviet States). So that means if they wanted to the free West, they had to flee. Some people even lost their lives here as they made a desperate attempt to get from East to West and were shot by the East Germany border police.
Aside from the so-called “East Side Gallery” (around “Warschauer Straße”), the best spot (in my opinion) to see the remaining parts of the Berlin Wall is the flea market at Mauerpark.
This is the place to go bargain hunting for local designer T‑Shirts or vintage vinyl as Berlin’s most famous flea market opens its gates every Sunday between 10 to 5 pm in the winter and 10 am to 6 pm in the summer.
Extra Tip: This is the perfect photo opportunity with an authentic and full-size piece of the Berlin Wall in the background.
How to get there: U‑Bahn stop is “Eberswalder Straße”
5. Travel back in time at Potsdamer Platz
This square, too, used to be on the Eastern side of the formerly divided city. More precisely, what is now Potsdamer Platz even was the death strip. After reunification in 1990, it received a massive make-over and now shines in sparkling new light.
The cinemas in and around the so-called Sony Center frequently host glittering movie premieres for both German and international films. Germany’s most important international film festival, the so-called Berlinale, is held here every year in February.
My best tip to learn about German history here is to visit the new “Deutschlandmuseum” (Germany Museum), which opened its doors in the spring of 2023. I was there in June 2023 and was very impressed. Since actual time travel is not possible yet, this is one of the closest things that you can do.
They had different rooms (I think around 10) for around 10 chapters of German history: from the dark forests in Germany during the times of the Germanic tribes and Romans in 9 AD all the way to modern-day Germany and the famous Berlin “love parade” in the early 2000s.
In each time period, I really felt like I was stepping back in time. In some rooms, like the medieval times, even the smells were re-created. And I was able to look through the window of a “medieval castle” at a jousting tournament.
I also remember very uncomfortable, chilly feelings when I stepped into the trenches of World War I and the crowds cheering for Hitler and the Nazis during the run-up to World War II. So overall a very cool, immersive museum!
Extra tip: If you are also interested in spy history, you will also find the “Deutsches Spionagemuseum” (German Spy Museum) right next to the Deutschandmuseum. Here, you can learn more about famous spy movies as well as real-life spies.
How to get there: U‑Bahn and S‑Bahn stop is “Potsdamer Platz”
6. Trace Germany’s Olympic history at the Olympiastadion Berlin
Whether you have sports enthusiasts or a history buffs (or both!) in your travel group, the Olympiastadion Berlin is sure to make a lasting impression on all of you.
Still used as a modern-day football (soccer) stadium, the Olympiastadion most recently hosted six games during the UEFA football (soccer) Euro Cup. This tournament took place in Germany from mid-June to mid-July 2024. The games also included the final match between Spain and England on 14th of July 2024.
The Olympiastadion also allows you to literally step into history. You can, for example, climb the Glockenturm (Bell Tower) for panoramic vistas. You can also join a guided tour in English here and learn more about the 1936 Summer Olympics that took place under Hitler and the Nazi regime.
Their plan to show that the “white race is superior” didn’t quite succeed though because the black American track and field athlete Jesse Owens became the star of the show – winning 4 gold medals. His unlikely friendship with German athlete (and competitor!) Luz Long remains an inspiring tale and even became the topic of the feature film “Race” (2016).
Can you already see Jesse sprinting on his track?
How to get there: The nearest U-Bahn station is Olympia-Stadion. You can take the U2 line to get there.
7. Get a taste of Berlin on a tasty food tour
My final tip for the top things to do in Berlin to learn more about the history of Germany is a Berlin food tour! As there are so many of them, it’s not easy to choose. In German, we say to have “Qual der Wahl”, which means that you are “spoilt for choice”.
Earlier than in other places in Germany, Berlin has also become a hub for vegan food. That’s why nowadays you’ll find numerous vegan food tours in the city, but also “normal” food tours in all kinds of neighborhoods.
From personal experience, I can highly recommend doing a food tour as the local guides often provide insights beyond what you can find online. Guides share stories about the areas now and then and the many different immigrant groups that shaped not only the food of Berlin, but the cuisine of Germany overall.
Did you know, for example, that both the “Currywurst” (a sausage in curry wurst) and the German-Turkish “Döner” (kebab) were invented in Berlin?
Unless otherwise credited, all photos by © Sonja Irani | MyAncestorsJourney.com
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