German Resistance Memorial Center (Bendlerblock): free visit and the site of 20 July 1944

Updated on October 5, 2026

The German Resistance Memorial Center (Gedenkstätte Deutscher Widerstand) occupies the Bendlerblock, a group of buildings on Stauffenbergstraße, a few minutes from the Kulturforum and Potsdamer Platz. This former army headquarters is where the 20 July 1944 plot against Hitler was coordinated and then crushed: that night, Colonel Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg and three other officers were shot in the courtyard. The memorial, opened in 1989, presents the permanent exhibition "Resistance against National Socialism" and does not stop at the officers: workers, the Churches, young people, intellectuals and Jews all have their place in it. Admission is free. The memorial is open Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 18:00 and at weekends from 10:00 to 18:00. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours for a visit.

Highlights

The 20 July courtyard

In the inner courtyard of the Bendlerblock, a slab in the ground and a plaque mark the spot where Stauffenberg, Friedrich Olbricht, Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim and Werner von Haeften were executed in the night of 20 to 21 July 1944. A sculpture of a young man with bound hands stands in this courtyard of honour.

The seat of the plot

The memorial is housed in the buildings that were the headquarters of the Reserve Army, the centre of the "Valkyrie" plan: it was from these corridors that the conspirators tried to seize power after the failed bomb attack at the "Wolf's Lair".

The permanent exhibition

It traces the history of German resistance through documents, photos and objects, from the first opposition of 1933 to the wartime conspiracies. You also learn about the resistance of ordinary people, who hid Jews, distributed leaflets or refused to collaborate.

Audio guides

Free audio guides are available in seven languages, as well as a German Sign Language version, at the reception desk or on your phone.

Hours and guided tours

Monday to Friday 9:00-18:00, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 10:00-18:00; closed on 24, 25 and 26 December, 31 December and 1 January. Free guided tours of about 75 minutes take place at 15:00 on the first Sunday of the month in German and on the third Sunday in German and English, with no booking (meet at the exhibition reception on the second floor). Groups of more than 12 people must book.

Practical info

Tips

Entry is free with no ticket (checked in October 2026), which makes this a good visit when your museum budget is already stretched: see also our list of free museums in Berlin. The memorial combines well with the Topography of Terror and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe for a day on the Nazi period, or with the neighbouring museums of the Kulturforum.

How to get there

Stauffenbergstraße 13-14, 10785 Berlin (Tiergarten), a 10-minute walk from Potsdamer Platz. U-Bahn U1 and U2 (Kurfürstenstraße or Potsdamer Platz) or S-Bahn S1, S2 and S25 (Potsdamer Platz), then walk. Bus M29 (stop Gedenkstätte Deutscher Widerstand), M48 and 200.