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Historical Museums in Berlin - Berlin Hotels .com

Jewish Museum - Berlin
Out of the intensity of its past and the rebuilding efforts since World War II, Berlin has created a number of historical museums that provide some perspective on the city's history and the different groups and cultures that have been integral to it.

In the Kreuzberg district, the Jewish Museum uses its architecture, art, learning center, and permanent exhibition to thoughtfully document 2,000 years of Berlin's German-Jewish history. In the same neighborhood, the Mauermuseum (Wall Museum) at Haus at Checkpoint Charlie uses artifacts, recordings, and footage to document the history of the Berlin Wall, the famous border-crossing point, and nonviolent protest from around the world.

In the Mitte district, two of the Gendarmenmarkt square's most distinctive structures are the architecturally matching buildings of the French Cathedral - Hugennot Museum and the Deutscher Dom (German Cathedral). The rebuilt German Cathedral is now used as a museum of German history, and the Huguenot Museum documents the history and cultural contributions of the refugee Huguenots who fled from France to Berlin in the 1700s.

Along Mitte's charming avenue Unter den Linden in the Zeughaus building, the German Historical Museum presents its thought-provoking permanent exhibition examining Germany's complex history from the ninth century to the present. Temporary and touring exhibitions are displayed in an adjacent new building designed by renowned architect I.M. Pei.

The district of Zehlendorf also has its share of museums. To learn more about Berlin's early inhabitants and agricultural history, visitors can explore a reconstructed medieval village and informative demonstrations at the Museumsdorf Dueppel, or learn about Berlin's agrarian and craft history at the outdoor museum Domaene Dahlem.

The Allied Museum in Zehlendorf documents the presence of World War II western Allies in Berlin from 1945 to 1994, and features a large object collection that includes a British Hastings TG 503 aircraft and Checkpoint Charlie guardhouse.

Whether visitors wish to learn more about a particular era or want an overview of the city's history and cultural perspectives, the historical museums throughout Berlin offer many rich opportunities.