Jewish Berlin at a glance
The first Jews settled in Berlin in the Middle Ages. The community grew above all in the 18th and 19th centuries, with figures such as the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, and was concentrated in the Spandauer Vorstadt, north of the Spree. After 1933, Berlin's Jews were excluded, dispossessed, then deported. The pogrom of 9 November 1938 was one stage; the Wannsee meeting in January 1942 organised the deportation and murder of Europe's Jews.
Today's city keeps traces on every street corner: memorial paving stones in front of buildings, plaques, memorials, institutions. Here is how to visit them in the most logical order.
The Spandauer Vorstadt, the pre-war district
This is the best starting point: everything is done on foot, in three or four hours.
The New Synagogue
The New Synagogue, Oranienburger Straße 28-30, is the most visible monument. Built between 1859 and 1866, it could hold about 3,000 worshippers. Only the façade and the golden dome have been rebuilt; the Centrum Judaicum houses the permanent exhibition. Admission is €7 and the site is closed on Saturday.
Große Hamburger Straße
A few minutes away, Große Hamburger Straße has several places of remembrance: the old Jewish cemetery, now a garden, with the reconstructed tombstone of Moses Mendelssohn, and a group of statues by Will Lammert in tribute to the deported; at number 15/16, Christian Boltanski's work "The Missing House". Our guide to the Mitte district describes this area in detail.
Haus Schwarzenberg and the Hackesche Höfe
In the courtyard of Haus Schwarzenberg, at 39 Rosenthaler Straße, the Museum Blindenwerkstatt Otto Weidt tells the story of the workshop where Otto Weidt employed blind or deaf Jews to protect them from deportation; admission is free. Right next door, the Anne Frank Zentrum has an exhibition. The neighbouring Hackesche Höfe complete the walk: the courtyards are now shops and cafés, but until 1933 the district was a centre of Berlin Jewish life.
The great museums and memorials
The Jewish Museum Berlin
The Jewish Museum is the main museum devoted to two thousand years of Jewish history in Germany. Its building, by Daniel Libeskind, is a work in itself. The permanent exhibition is free; the museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00 and closed on Monday. Allow three hours.
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Next to the Brandenburg Gate, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe lines up 2,710 concrete stelae designed by Peter Eisenman. The field of stelae is accessible day and night; the underground information centre, free, is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00.
The Topography of Terror
The Topography of Terror occupies the former site of the Gestapo and the SS, on Niederkirchnerstraße. The exhibition is free and open every day from 10:00 to 20:00.
The Wannsee Conference House
On the lakeside, in the south-west, the Wannsee Conference House is the villa where the meeting of 20 January 1942 was held. It is free and open every day from 10:00 to 18:00. You reach it by S-Bahn and then bus: plan half a day.
Outside the centre
The Weißensee Jewish Cemetery, opened in 1880, is the largest Jewish cemetery in Europe. It is in the north-east of Berlin; a dedicated page details the visit. The "Stolpersteine", small brass paving stones set in front of buildings where victims of Nazism lived, number in the thousands in the city's streets: you spot them by looking down. On Rykestraße, in Prenzlauer Berg, the 1904 synagogue is the largest in Germany; it cannot be visited freely, so ask the Jewish community before you come.
A one-day route
| Stage | Place | Suggested time |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | New Synagogue, Große Hamburger Straße, Haus Schwarzenberg | 3 h |
| Midday | Lunch in the Spandauer Vorstadt | 1 h |
| Early afternoon | Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe | 1 h |
| Afternoon | Jewish Museum Berlin (or Topography of Terror) | 2 to 3 h |
One day is not enough to see everything: keep Wannsee and Weißensee for a second day.
Practical tips
- Saturday and holidays: the New Synagogue is closed on Saturday; check the Jewish Museum's closures (14 November and 24 December 2026).
- Security: a security check takes place at the entrance of the main sites; carry little luggage.
- Respect: these are places of reflection; sober dress and a quiet tone are expected, and the field of stelae is not a playground.
- Pace: alternate very moving places with breaks. For a broader day, see our route Berlin and the Second World War.
Going further
To place these sites in their district, read our guide to Mitte. To compare with the city's other places of worship, see our churches and places of worship, and to organise your travel, our guide to public transport in Berlin.
