Former Reichsluftfahrtministerium

Former Reichsluftfahrtministerium

Historic Mitte

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Designed by Ernst Sagebiel in 1935 and ’36, this behemoth was not only Hermann Göring’s power centre but also where the resistance group ‘Red Orchestra’ conspired until being caught and executed in 1942. There’s a memorial to them in the foyer of what is today the Federal Finance Ministry. Facing Leipziger Strasse is a 20m-long mural made of Meissen porcelain tiles by GDR artist Max Lingner in 1950 for what was then East Germany's House of Ministries.

It's an idealised depiction of strong and optimistic East Germans looking forward to a bright future under socialism.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Museum island on Spree river and Alexanderplatz TV tower in center of Berlin, Germany

    Museumsinsel

    1 MILES

    Walk through ancient Babylon, meet an Egyptian queen, clamber up a Greek altar or be mesmerized by Monet's ethereal landscapes. Welcome to Museumsinsel …

  • Neues Museum und Alte Nationalgalerie (right) at Museumsinsel in Berlin.

    Neues Museum

    0.96 MILES

    For over 60 years, not a soul was able to visit Berlin’s Neues Museum – in fact, it sat in ruins. But today it’s one of the city’s most celebrated…

  • The Museumsinsel in Berlin

    Pergamonmuseum

    1.02 MILES

    The Pergamonmuseum is one of Berlin’s most visited historical gems and perhaps also its most controversial. This museum offers an archaeological time-warp…

  • BERLIN, GERMANY- October 15, 2014: Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed starting on 13 August 1961. East Side Gallery is an international memorial for freedom. October 15, 2014 in Berlin

    East Side Gallery

    2.42 MILES

    The East Side Gallery is the embodiment of Berlin’s grit and guts.

  • Berlin city Germanyu 1610343451

    Fernsehturm

    1.34 MILES

    Germany's tallest structure, the TV Tower is a Berlin icon.

  • Schloss & Park Sanssouci

    Schloss & Park Sanssouci

    16.59 MILES

    This glorious park and palace ensemble is what happens when a king has good taste, plenty of cash and access to the finest architects and artists of the…

  • Schloss Sanssouci

    Schloss Sanssouci

    16.3 MILES

    Frederick the Great's famous summer palace, this rococo gem was designed by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff in 1747 and sits daintily above vine-draped…

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Nearby Historic Mitte attractions

1. Museum für Kommunikation Berlin

0.16 MILES

Three cheeky robots welcome you to this elegant, neo-baroque museum, which takes you on an entertaining romp through the evolution of communication, from…

3. Watchtower Erna-Berger-Strasse

0.18 MILES

Imagine what it was like to be a Berlin Wall border guard when climbing up the iron ladder of one of the few remaining watchtowers. The octagonal…

4. Martin-Gropius-Bau

0.18 MILES

With its mosaics, terracotta reliefs and airy atrium, this Italian Renaissance–style exhibit space named for its architect (Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius…

5. Deutsches Spionage Museum

0.2 MILES

High-tech and interactive, this private museum not only documents the evolution of spying from ancient Egypt to the 20th century, it also displays…

6. Dalí – Die Ausstellung

0.24 MILES

If you only know Salvador Dalí as the painter of melting watches, burning giraffes and other surrealist imagery, this private collection will likely open…

7. Trabi Museum

0.25 MILES

If you were lucky enough to own a car in East Germany, it would most likely have been a Trabant (Trabi in short), a tinny two-stroker whose name (…

8. BlackBox Kalter Krieg

0.26 MILES

This small exhibit right by Checkpoint Charlie provides an easily accessible chronicle of the Cold War using photographs, maps, original footage and…