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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Berlin

121 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Berlin, Germany

Updated June 1, 2023

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Military 25
World War Ii 22
Memorials 15
Museums And Collections 13
Nazis 12
Collections 10
Architectural Oddities 10
War History 8

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Stories About Berlin

Berlin is home to more than half the world's working gas streetlamps. They first illuminated Unter den Linden, Berlin’s central boulevard, almost two centuries ago.

The Last Days of Berlin's Gas Streetlamps

Looking at the German city in a different light.
by Alex Rennie
The shadow of Count Orlok is long.

A New Look at Nosferatu’s Bloody Legacy

An exhibition in Berlin celebrates a century of one of the most famous, and complicated, vampire stories.
by Diana Hubbell

The Overlooked History of Berlin's Black Community

New memorials honor Afro-German victims of the Nazis.
by Jennifer Neal
Many escape tunnels were dug under the Berlin Wall in the Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood, including the famous Tunnel 57.

Remembering a Daring Escape Beneath the Berlin Wall

Nearly 60 years after he fled East Berlin, Andreas Springer shares a story of risk, freedom, and the deepest tunnel beneath the Cold War's most infamous border.
by Jordan Todorov
Retirement for this 707 means being parked beside a forest.

The Last Plane at Tegel Airport Has Survived Hijackers and Cold War

Parked far from the runway, the dilapidated 707 is an artifact of Berlin's divided past.
by Susannah Edelbaum
Mnyaka Sururu Mboro, of nonprofit Berlin Postkolonial, holds a sign for a street renamed to commemorate a rebellion in German East Africa.

How Berlin Is Reckoning With Germany's Colonial Past

It starts with renaming streets and landmarks, but will take much more than that.
by Jennifer Neal
The volunteers were given suitcases to check in and pick up. The bags didn't always make it to carousel.

What It's Like to Stress-Test Berlin's Brand New, Much Maligned Airport

A little stressful, by design.
by Andrew Curry
German authorities with a 500-pound bomb discovered during construction work. Such discoveries are regular occurrences in cities that were bombed during World War II.

What Happens When They Find a World War II Bomb Down the Street

In German cities, it means alerts, traffic, evacuations, and at least a little anxiety.
by Andrew Curry

Lists Featuring Berlin

Gesundbrunnen Bunker - Entrance from inside
Peaks of the Tempodrom

Berlin's 4 Top Wonders in 2018

The strange and unusual places Atlas Obscura readers wanted to visit most in Germany's capital in 2018.

4

Including Berliner Unterwelten (Subterranean Berlin), Monster Kabinett, and Spreepark

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