Märkisches Museum: Berlin's city museum is closed for renovation, what to do meanwhile

Updated on October 15, 2026

The Märkisches Museum, a red-brick building topped by a verdigris tower in the Köllnischer Park, is Berlin's city history museum (Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin). It has been closed since 30 December 2022 for a complete renovation: updated building services and fire protection, step-free access and redesigned galleries. Reopening is announced for 2028, so there are no tickets to buy today, online or on site. This page explains what you can still see around the museum and where to find Berlin's history in the meantime. The building, on the Spree, remains a pleasant place for a stroll, a few metro stops from Alexanderplatz and the Museum Island.

Highlights

The building and its tower

Built in the early 20th century in a style recalling the brick churches and castles of Brandenburg, it can be admired from outside across the Köllnischer Park. The tower, about 60 metres high, is meant to be part of the visit and open to the public once the museum reopens.

The Bärenzwinger

At the edge of the park, this bear pit, an annex of the museum, long housed the bears of Berlin, the city's emblem. It has had no bears since the last one died in 2015; the outside can be seen freely on a walk.

The building site and its journal

The museum foundation publishes an online "Baujournal" (construction journal), in German, where you can follow the progress of the works. The neighbouring Marinehaus is due to serve as a temporary site before the main building reopens: no date announced so far, check the museum's website.

The other Stadtmuseum sites

The city museum remains open elsewhere: the Ephraim-Palais, the Knoblauchhaus and the Nikolaikirche, in the Nikolaiviertel district, as well as the Düppel museum village. These are the places to go for Berlin's history while the Märkisches Museum is closed.

Practical info

Tips

The museum is closed until the reopening announced for 2028: do not plan to visit it on a trip in 2026 or 2027, and check the date on the Stadtmuseum's official website before building an itinerary around it. For a city-history museum, the simplest option is to combine the Nikolaiviertel (on foot, about 15 minutes from the Köllnischer Park) and the Museum Island. To choose your museums and compare passes, read the best museums in Berlin and the Museumspass; information checked in October 2026.

How to get there

Am Köllnischen Park 5, 10179 Berlin-Mitte. U-Bahn U2, Märkisches Museum station. Alexanderplatz is about 20 minutes on foot or a few metro stops away.