British architect Norman Foster was the brain behind the ‘Berlin Brain’, a cranial-shaped 2005 masterpiece of modern architecture that houses the Freie Universität Berlin’s Philological Library. Inside are four floors sheltered within a naturally ventilated, bubble-like enclosure draped in aluminium and glazed panels. An inner membrane of translucent glass fibre filters the daylight, while scattered transparent openings allow momentary glimpses of the sky.
‘Berlin Brain’
Around Berlin
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
6.64 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 …
6.6 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…
6.64 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…
5.53 MILES
This compelling exhibit tells stories of terror and persecution in Nazi Germany.
11.36 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…
11.06 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…
Nearby Around Berlin attractions
0.07 MILES
The Free University is one of three public universities in Berlin, with nearly 31,500 students hitting the books in numerous buildings spread across…
2. Museum Europäischer Kulturen
0.32 MILES
Everyday culture and cultural contact in Europe from the 18th century to the present is the focus of this museum, which also examines such topical themes…
3. Freilichtmuseum Domäne Dahlem
0.44 MILES
Pat a potbellied pig or clamber on a historical tractor at this open-air museum that’s actually a modern working farm attached to a rambling manor house…
0.73 MILES
The original Checkpoint Charlie guard cabin, a Berlin Airlift plane and a reconstructed spy tunnel are among the dramatic exhibits at the Allied Museum,…
5. Botanischer Garten & Museum
0.81 MILES
Berlin’s vast Freie Universität Berlin–affiliated botanical gardens boast 22,000 plant species. It's an inspirational spot to reconnect with nature…
1.16 MILES
This private art museum in the monumental studio of Nazi-era sculptor Arno Breker presents modernist works created in Germany in the years between WWII…
1.19 MILES
In 1905 Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Erich Heckel and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner founded Germany’s first modern-artist group, called Die Brücke (The Bridge)…
2.23 MILES
Germany's first actress to hit the big time in Hollywood, Marlene Dietrich was born in Schöneberg in 1901. In 1992 the 'Blue Angel' moved into her final…