BerlinZEIT, the permanent exhibit at this regional history museum, offers a compact and engaging introduction to Berlin for first-time visitors. Budget about an hour to learn about historic milestones and key protagonists that shaped the city on its journey from medieval trading village to today’s metropolis. Period rooms like the Gothic Hall, the Guild Hall and the Weapons Hall provide atmospheric eye candy. Audioguide recommended.
If you want to deepen your knowledge, you will find more objects and stories in the upper level. The museum itself is housed in an imposing mash-up of parts of historic buildings from the surrounding region, including a bishop's palace tower and the Gothic gables of a church. A copy of the Roland statue, a medieval symbol of civic liberty and freedom, stands guard at the entrance.
