Cold War devices
Bugs hidden in everyday objects, miniature cameras.
Deutsches Spionagemuseum Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Deutsches Spionagemuseum Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Deutsches Spionagemuseum Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Deutsches Spionagemuseum Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0 — CC BY-SA 4.0
The German Spy Museum stands on Leipziger Platz — a deliberate location: the square was cut in two by the Berlin Wall itself, and Berlin was the world capital of espionage throughout the Cold War, with Eastern and Western services operating in the same city. The exhibition is broad, covering the history of espionage from ancient ciphers to cyber security, but its heart is the Cold War: listening devices hidden in everyday objects, miniature cameras, a German Enigma machine, and documents on real operations such as the Berlin tunnel the West dug to tap Soviet cables. The approach is plainly interactive: a laser maze you can cross, code-breaking stations and lie-detector tests. That makes it better suited to families and teenagers than conventional history museums, but it also means it sits closer to educational entertainment than to a research museum — and the price is relatively high for Berlin.
Bugs hidden in everyday objects, miniature cameras.
An interactive station teenagers enjoy.
Leipziger Platz 9, 10117 Berlin
DeutschlandmuseumA recent museum near Potsdamer Platz presenting two thousand years of German his1 minute walk4.7
Potsdamer PlatzPotsdamer Platz is the whole story of Berlin in one place. Before the war it was3 minutes walk4.3
Gropius BauThe Gropius Bau is a major exhibition hall in an 1881 building by Martin Gropius4 minutes walk4.5
Checkpoint CharlieCheckpoint Charlie was the best-known crossing point between East and West Berli10 minutes walk4.3
Neue NationalgalerieThe Neue Nationalgalerie was the last building Ludwig Mies van der Rohe complete10 minutes walk4.7They differ entirely in character. The Stasi Museum is the actual headquarters of East Germany's security service left as it was, documentary and harsh in effect and cheap to enter. This is a modern visitor-designed museum with interactive experiences at a higher price, covering espionage globally rather than one case. For serious history choose the Stasi Museum; for an enjoyable family visit choose this.