The Ultimate Guide to Cold War Berlin
Berlin is the defining Cold War city. 4 occupying powers, two Germanies, one Wall, and a whole load of history waiting for you to discover it. I’ve packed in as many places as I can, but despite the name this list is not exhaustive. I’m sure I’ll be adding to it for many days to come.
That said, this is version one and I’ve got over 100 different places you can go out and explore. To make this unwieldy and huge blog post a little easier for you to navigate it’s split into 6 parts:
Section 1: Berlin Cold War Sights for first-timers
Section 2: Cold War Berlin places to eat & drink
Section 3: Cold War Berlin places to stay the night
Section 4: Cold War Berlin Sights for history buffs willing to go the extra mile
Section 5: Cold War Berlin Sights for the biggest Cold War nerds out there
Section 6: Key Allied Locations
This post was inspired by the excellent, award-winning Cold War Conversations podcast. I was interviewed for episode 269! Subscribe to hear amazing Cold War for history from experts and witnesses interviewed by the fantastic Ian Sanders.
Listen to me talk about Cold War sights in Berlin while scrolling through this epic list.
Remember, I’m a tour guide in Berlin. I do have a Cold War tour you can book here, but if you’re the kind of person reading through over 100 different sights and poring over my custom Google map you’ll probably something more in depth, so I’d recommend getting in touch to book a custom tour.
Explore the Berlin Wall Memorial on my Cold War Berlin Tour
Book a custom Cold War Berlin tour for your perfect experience
Explore by yourself with the Cold War Berlin map
I thought you’d never ask.
Plan your own self-guided Cold War Berlin adventure with this map, or book a Cold War Berlin Tour with me!
Section 1: Berlin Cold War sights for first-timers
First time in Berlin? Ok, you need to see Checkpoint Charlie and visit the Kulturbrauerei, and gawp at the Berlin Wall. Still, there are probably way more easy to reach sights than you’re expecting.
You could spend the whole day at Bernauer Strasse and still not have seen everything
Explore the history of divided Berlin and the Berlin Wall at the Berlin Wall Memorial
Between Nordbahnhof S-Bahn station and Bernauer Strasse U-Bahn you can find the Berlin Wall Memorial. There is so much to see here that on my tours I spend 1-2 hours here! It’s essentially a free museum. There’s a small indoor section, but there’s plenty more outside. Here are some highlights:
See an original section of the Berlin Wall
Climb the tower to see “Death Strip” from above
Photo wall of victims killed at the Berlin Wall
Church of Reconciliation - look out for the WW2 bomb beneath it!
Conrad Schumann Memorial - the guard that escaped to the West!
The story of Tunnel 57 - the most successful tunnel beneath the Berlin Wall
Learn all about life in East Germany at the ‘Museum at the Kulturbrauerei’
This museum has a terrible name. Such a terrible name! It’s a massive shame as well, because it’s so good! This really should be called “The Best East German History Museum in Berlin”. This state run museum is completely free and gives a great overview of life in East Germany. It’s perfectly pitched for all audiences, so if you’re bringing friends, family, or kids along you don’t have to worry.
Discover the height of Cold War spying at the Stasi Museum
When we think of the Cold War we think of spies, and when we think of the most effective spying organisations in history, we think of the Stasi. People often asked me why people wanted to leave the East and escape over the Berlin Wall to the West, and one of the major reasons is the Stasi.
Short for “Ministry for State Security” the Stasi pulled all the strings in East Germany. The Stasi’s mandate was to be the sword and shield of the party: they spied on their own people, their own government (including their own dictators!) and even coerced East German family members into spying on one another.
To be honest, it goes much deeper than that. You can find out more in their old HQ building in Berlin Lichtenberg. Well worth a visit, and super cool to be in the place where it all happened.
It’s a bit out of the way, but the Allied Museum is really cool
Learn about West Berlin in the Allied Museum
With the history of the Cold War we tend to have more of a focus on the East: that’s the system that failed, the system that no longer exists. Western capitalism is of course still a dominant global system, but it doesn’t mean that the Western side of Berlin Cold War history is any less interesting!
The Allied museum is free. You can find it in the West Berlin district of Dahlem, where you can explore some really cool things. You can see:
The original Checkpoint Charlie building
One of the US Air Force’s DC3s that brought supplies to Berlin during the airlift
A real section of the “Operation Gold” tunnel
The tiny parachutes used by Gail Halvorsen to drop candy for West Berlin kids in 1948 and ‘49
See where World War Three almost began at Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie was one of the most (in)famous places in the Cold War: it’s where in October 1961 Soviet and American tanks were engaged in a tense face off that could have snowballed into World War Three. It’s where spies snuck over from one side to the other, where East Germans escaped, and where tourists from the West came to visit East Berlin.
Sadly, today Checkpoint Charlie is one of the world’s most underwhelming sights. There’s not a great deal there, and what is there is… yeah. Still, you can’t come to Berlin and not visit Checkpoint Charlie.
Here’s what you should see at Checkpoint Charlie:
Yadegar Asisi’s Panorama - get a feel for what it was like to peer over the Wall from West to East
Checkpoint Charlie Black Box - the free exhibition on the yellow boards gives you a great overview of the Cold War and key moments in Checkpoint Charlie’s history
I recommend avoiding the overpriced Checkpoint Charlie museum. It’s not the most factually accurate place, and it’s really expensive. There are better ways to spend your time and money.
Photo by Norbert Braun on Unsplash
Feel the kiss of brotherly love at the East Side Gallery
The East Side Gallery is the longest remaining section of the Berlin Wall. It’s covered in murals celebrating hope, peace, and change. Originally it was painted in the Summer of 1990 - just months after it ceased to be an active border with shoot to kill orders.
The most famous painting on the East Side Gallery is Dmitri Vrubel’s “My God, Please Help Me to Survive this Deadly Love”. It’s inspired by a photograph of two communist leaders who really did go in for a smooch. Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev is on the left, and East Germany’s second dictator, Erich Honecker, is on the right.
A T-34 Tank outside the Soviet War Memorial in the Tiergarten
‘Eternal honour and glory to the heroes who fell in the fight against the fascist invaders’ at Berlin’s 3 Soviet War Memorials
The Soviet Union really knew how to build a war memorial! In Berlin you can visit not one, not two, but three Soviet War Memorials. Critics will point out that these memorials do not reference crimes perpetrated by Soviet soldiers during and after World War Two, most notably the rape of an estimated 1,000,000 women in May & June 1945. It is for this reason that these memorials are known locally as ‘memorial to the unknown rapist’.
The easiest one to visit is in the Tiergarten, right next to the Brandenburg Gate. Here you can see two artillery units and two T34 tanks. There’s another large memorial in Schönholzer Heide, but the largest by far is the one in Treptower Park. This is where you can see the history of ‘The Great Patriotic War’ told almost in storybook style by Joseph Stalin: his quotes adorn the white sarcophagi lining the sides of the memorial. The centrepiece is the 12m tall statue depicting Nikolai Masolov: a red army soldier that risked his life to rescue a German child from crossfire between the Soviet & German fronts during the Battle of Berlin.
The very place where for many people across the world the Cold War ended
See where the Berlin Wall came down at Bornholmer Strasse
Just outside the Bornholmer Strasse S-Bahn station is a memorial commemorating the amazing events of 1989, when the Berlin Wall came down. Throughout 1989 East Germans had protested peacefully for the right to travel freely. They met in churches, marched onto the street and chanted “Wir sind das Volk”. The peaceful protests culminated with the opening of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989.
See where (and how) the Holzapfel family zip-lined over the Berlin Wall next to Checkpoint Charlie
There’s a small stretch of Berlin Wall that tour guides like me love to point out right in the middle of town, just a stone’s throw from Checkpoint Charlie. If you sneak past the guides yapping away to their groups you’ll see that there’s a comic strip posted on the side of the German finance ministry there. It tells the story of Heinz, Jutta, and Gunther Holzapfel and how they zip-lined over the Wall in the 1960s.
In fact, you can even read the comic online here.
Discover West Germany’s ‘68er movement and the Red Army Faction at the Deutsche Oper & Rudi Dutschke Memorial
I have a tendency when looking at Cold War history to focus on the East, but it’s really important to know what was happening in Cold War West Germany as well. For those readers that have a tendency to think of West Germany as ‘the good one’, nothing is that simple. By the end of the 1960s young West Germans, inspired by Vietnam war protests and the civil rights movement, started to protest and ask ‘who were our parents, and what were they doing in the 1940s?’. Left wing West Germans started to vocally oppose West German foreign policy and the USA as a whole: remember, the USA was occupying West Berlin, and West Germany was littered with US army bases. It’s this perfect storm that gave rise to the Red Army Faction (aka the Baader Meinhof Gang).
Throughout the ‘70s the Red Army Faction wreaked havoc across West Germany. Think bank robberies, political kidappings, assassinations of West German politicians, even hijacking a plane. Despite their violence and far-left politics the group were able to engender sympathy among West Germans, particularly young adults. The original members of the gang were eventually arrested, put on trial, and committed suicide before they were sentenced.
The two memorials here are for young men that were not members of the Red Army Faction. Their actions and deaths were, however, hugely important in reflecting what was happening at this time. Firstly, outside the Deutsche Oper you can find a memorial for Benno Ohnesorg. Ohnesorg was shot in the back of the head at point blank range by police during a protest against a visit to West Berlin from the Shah of Iran. The policeman that shot him, Karl-Heinz Kurras, was cleared of all charges, further enraging the young West German left.
A key figure in the West German left scene was Rudi Dutschke. Rudi Dutschke was a German political activist and the spokesperson for the left-wing student movement of the 1960s in West Germany. He was an important figure in the student protests against the Vietnam War and the authoritarianism of the state.
On April 11, 1968, Dutschke was shot three times in the head by a right-wing extremist named Josef Bachmann. There is a plaque for Dutschke in the very place he was shot on the Kurfürstendamm. He was critically wounded and remained in a coma for several months.
Dutschke's shooting sparked a wave of protests and demonstrations across Germany, with students occupying universities and clashing with police. It also led to a debate about the role of violence in political activism and the responsibility of the media in creating a climate of hatred and incitement. Dutschke died in 1979 from complications related to his injuries.
Discover the history of Germany as a whole, including the Cold War, at the German History Museum
I know this is an easy one, but come on, it’s the German History Museum (Deutsches Historisches Museum). The museum goes through many centuries of history, it doesn’t have a strict focus on the Cold War, but the history of divided Germany is in there, too.
Explore the office for East Germany’s top brass, the Staatsratsgebäude
The most beautiful building the East Germans ever built, in my opinion. Not from the outside, but the inside. You can enter the foyer and admire the stained glass, but to get the full effect you need to join a tour of the building. Check out my video below for a look inside!
The Kino International is exquisite inside
Watch a movie in East Berlin’s most prestigious cinema: Kino International
Cinema was alive and well in East Germany! Potsdam’s legendary Babelsberg film studio made its name in the silent era and then fell into the Soviet occupation zone following World War Two. The studio was then used to produce movies in East Germany that had been approved by the state. This isn’t to say that all movies in the East were propaganda movies, but it is to say that none of them were allowed to be critical of the state.
So, where did the East German politicians go and see film premieres? In the stunning Kino International, finished in 1963 in pride of place in the new-look centre of East Berlin on the Karl-Marx-Allee. The cinema is still in use today and is phenomenal, especially the bar. I come here regularly. Click here to see what’s on (OV means original version, OmU means original version with German subtitles, if it doesn’t say OV or OmU it’ll be a German dub, and no one wants to see that).
The Oberbaum Brücke used to be a border crossing between the Soviet & American sectors during the Cold War
Cross over from the coolest part of East Berlin to the coolest part of West Berlin at the Oberbaum Brücke
The East Berlin district of Friedrichshain is connected to the Western district of Kreuzberg by the awfully cool Oberbaum Brücke. During the Cold War in Berlin this bridge was used as a checkpoint in the Berlin Wall, mostly for West Berliners visiting the East.
Say hello to Marx & Engels by the TV Tower
With the new City Palace standing to their backs on Museum Island, Marx & Engels survey the Alexanderplatz area with its great big TV Tower. They’ve actually been here since the ‘70s, and the view behind them has changed greatly. Back when the statue was new you would have seen East Germany’s Palace of the Republic behind you.
Karl-Marx-Allee is the very first spot I visited when I moved to Berlin!
Stroll down East Berlin’s stunning boulevard, Karl-Marx-Allee
Originally built as a monument to Stalin, this grand boulevard was renamed for Karl Marx after Kruschev decided that the Eastern bloc should distance themselves from Stalin’s legacy back in the 1960s.
This street was the Red Army’s main highway into Berlin back in April of 1945. It was smashed to pieces. With the founding of East Germany it was decided to use this street to show off. The communists made a huge boulevard with Moscow-style apartment buildings that are still some of Berlin’s most desirable addresses to this day. The street was used to host big parades, and, in a rather touching gesture, many of the apartments were given away to ‘Trümmerfrauen’, or ‘rubble women’, the women who moved Berlin’s WWII by hand at the war’s end, paving the way for the reconstruction of Berlin.
There’s loads to see on East Berlin’s Karl-Marx-Allee. Here are some highlights:
Catch a movie in Communist politician style at Kino International
Look out for the Sputnik tribute at Cafe Moscow
Go for a drink at Bar Babette
Look for Stalin’s Statue (it’ll take a while)
Get craft beer beneath the towers at Frankfurter Tor
This 1952 mural shows the ideals of East Germany, but the info boards on the square show the reality
Learn about East Germany’s largest uprising at the Platz des Volksaufstandes von 1953
On the 17th of June 1953 there was a huge uprising in East Germany. East Germans were protesting against stagnant wages, increasing workloads, declining standards of living, and the sham democracy that had been installed by the Soviet Union in 1949. The protests were initially started by workers building a monument to Stalin. You’ll find the memorial on the corner of Leipziger Strasse and Wilhelmstrasse, outside what used to be an East German government building.
Find a hidden original guard tower at Potsdamer Platz
Tucked away down a side street, just inside of a huge construction site, you’ll find one of the last original Berlin Wall guard towers poking out over a fence.
March 2024 Update: Still covered up at the moment!
Caught between the two Berlins in the Cold War, the Brandenburg Gate
See where President Reagan asked “Mr. Gorbachev… tear down this Wall” at the Brandenburg Gate
In the Summer of 1987 President Reagan visited West Berlin. In an event tightly controlled by US forces, with hardly any Germans in attendance, president Reagan called on Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. A little over 2 years later, it was open.
See where David Bowie recorded “Heroes” at Hansa Tonstudio and where he lived in Berlin-Schöneberg
In the 1970s David Bowie and Iggy Pop moved to the West Berlin district of Schöneberg to get away from drugs and the trappings of fame, and start working hard on their new music. It would be a famously prolific time for the pair, with Bowie recording one of his most famous songs, Heroes. The song makes reference to the Berlin Wall, which was easily viewable from the recording studio where the pair were working with producer Tony Visconti.
Walk in the footsteps of Christiane F. at Zoo Station
‘70s West Berlin had a big heroin problem. The drug was being sold to children, and in some cases, like that of Christiane F., children would sell their bodies at the Zoologischer Garten train station, the central hub of West Berlin.
A pair of journalists published Christiane F.’s story in a landmark book that shocked the people of West Germany. To be perfectly honest, the book is still a shocking read today. The book received a film adaptation in 1981, and the story has been told again recently by Netflix (though I didn’t much enjoy that one to be honest).
East Berlin was modernising fast in the ‘60s: check out how architecture and design were changing
Visit one of East Germany’s most famous monuments: The World Clock at Alexanderplatz
One of the key communist beliefs, going all the way back to Marx, is that communism is the next stage of human history, the successor to capitalism. As such, communism was viewed as a global ideology: the other countries just weren’t quite there yet. That’s why you see a lot of globes and globe-esque imagery in communist art, monuments etc.
The World Clock is one of East Germany’s most famous space age monuments! It featured in the fantastic movie Goodbye, Lenin!, which tackles the feelings of Easterners following the collapse of their country, and the troubles caused by reunification in the 1990s.
See where the first murder at the Berlin Wall took place at the Günter Litfin Memorial
Litfin thought he’d found a quiet space to swim beneath the border to West Berlin. As he was climbing out of the water he was shot twice and killed. The case was all over the West Berlin media, and the site of his death is now a memorial.
Discover hidden pieces of the old Palace of the Republic in the new City Palace
East Germany’s gleaming new parliament building replaced the old Prussian City Palace by the 1970s. Very modern for its time, it featured stunning lighting, several bars and cafes, and was open to the public. Of course, it wasn’t the world’s greatest example of a democratic parliament, but it was a building that was well-loved and the source of great pride in East Germany.
Rather controversially, the building has now been replaced with a kind-of copy of the old palace. Inside it today you’ll find genuinely fantastic museums (some of them free), but if you keep an eye out you’ll see small exhibits showing what used to be here in the East Berlin days.
Get an intro to life in East Germany at the DDR Museum
Honestly if you’ve got this far down the list and you still need an intro to East Germany then good luck! The DDR Museum is just next to Museum Island. It gives visitors a look at life in the East, though it’s not the deepest insight you’ll find. Great for beginners, though.
Explore what lies beneath the city with Berliner Unterwelten
More than one of Unterwelten’s tours covers Cold War history. These guys are great. They never visit on your own (legally, anyway). Discover what happened to U- and S-Bahn tunnels when the Wall went up, or walk through a real Berlin Wall escape tunnel. Phenomenal stuff.
See one of the last surviving images of Lenin at Bebelplatz
It used to be that you could see images and statues of Lenin all over East Berlin. Now, as far as I know, there’s only 1 left. On Bebelplatz look up at the law faculty building of the Humboldt university. Above the main entrance you’ll see a stained glass window. It’s tricky to make out, so you grab your phone, take a photo, and zoom in. On the right side you’ll see Marx and his buddy Engels hanging out with Lenin doing his classic ‘hailing a taxi’ pose.
See communist art on a huge scale near Alexanderplatz
You can find great works in the Social Realism style all over the former Eastern Bloc, and East Berlin is no different. Just a stone’s throw from the TV Tower at Alexanderplatz you can find the old Haus des Lehrers and Haus des Reisens, the house of teachers and the house of travel respectively. Both of them feature art from Walter Womacka. On the house of teachers his work celebrates, well, teachers. The idea is that in communist art it is the people that are celebrated, the workers, as opposed to Gods or heroes. On the house of travel you’ll see an awesome space-age metal relief.
Just down the street you can also see the old East Germany Pressecafe, a popular hangout for journalists. It’s sadly sat empty at the moment, but a few years ago a lovely mural by Willi Neuberts named “The Press as Organiser” was unveiled after being covered up for much of the time since the Wall fell.
The Palace of Tears is now a free museum!
Explore everyday life with the Berlin Wall at the ‘Palace of Tears’
One of my all time favourite Berlin museums! The ‘Palace of Tears’ was a small building next to Friedrichstrasse station used by the East German authorities to process people entering and leaving West Berlin via the Friedrichstrasse train station. The name comes from the emotional goodbyes said to family members heading home to the West. People never knew whether or not they would see each other again.
The exhibition inside is just the right size - I’d say you could be in and out within 45 minutes. There’s even a free bathroom at the back.
Get a view over both East and West Berlin from the TV Tower
The big one! Looming over the entire city is East Germany’s TV Tower. Opened in 1969 and still the tallest building in Germany today, the TV Tower was the source of great pride in the East. ‘We’ve got the bigger tower!’ essentially.
Tickets up to the top cost around €25 these days. It’s good fun! There’s a bar up there, and even a revolving restaurant. I recommend popping up for breakfast.
Section 2: Cold War Berlin Places to Eat & Drink
It’s not all museums, murals, maps, and walking tours. I assume you want to eat and drink along the way. Here’s a few ideas I came up with for you:
Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash
Chow down on currywurst at East Berlin’s most famous Imbiss, Konnopke’s
Under the U-Bahn tracks outside the U2 station Eberswalderstrasse is one of Berlin’s finest currywurst stands, Konnopke’s Imbiss. Imbiss is German for a snack stand or kiosk by the way.
You can easily head over to the Berlin Wall Memorial (#1) or the Museum at the Kulturbrauerei (#2) from here. Why not do all 3 and make a(n East German) day of it? You could even pop over to VEB Orange around the corner afterwards for souvenirs!
Drink like a West German chancellor at Ständige Vertretung
This Cologne-themed gastropub wasn’t actually here during the Cold War - they wouldn’t have a West German place in East Berlin now, would they? The place is decked out in Cold War-era photos, most of West German politicians, but the Easterners get a look in, too. Inside has a friendly vibe, but on a nice day you should really sit out by the water.
If you’re thinking “hey, why the small beers?” when drinking Kölsch you get 200ml beers and the staff will just keep replacing them until you tell them to stop. Every sip is fresh beer! That’s how they do it in Cologne.
Me in my much younger days at an event I’d organised at the Volkskammer Restaurant
Eat like an East German General Secretary at Volkskammer Restaurant
An East German restaurant doesn’t sound too appealing, huh? Well, get those stereotypes out of your mind! Ok, the place isn’t going to win a Michelin Star, but the food is actually really good, the staff are nice, and the decor (down to the official portrait of Honecker) is spot on.
This beautiful bar was once a hair salon selling expensive Western goods
Drink cocktails in a former East German hair salon at Bar Babette
This glass-box building on Karl-Marx-Allee was originally a hair salon in East Berlin. Now it’s a pleasant little bar! There aren’t many bars in the area, so it’s usually a little quiet, but the architecture is so cool you really owe it to yourself to visit.
Perfect for a nightcap after a good movie across the road at Kino International.
Try the classic West Berlin currywurst at Curry 36
West Berlin lays claim to inventing the Currywurst after WWII, apparently to appeal to Americans. Whether or not it’s true, it means you can justify grabbing another currywurst for yourself. This time in West Berlin! There are outlets at Hauptbahnhof, Warschauer Strasse, and Zoo Stations, but the most famous is the one outside Mehringdamm U-Bahn Station (U6 & U7).
You will be asked if you would like your sausage with or without intestine (Darm), which I know to English ears is pretty ‘interesting’. For the record, I prefer mit Darm (with intestine).
Click here to discover even more places to grab your currywurst!
See where the German Communist Party was headquartered and eat Italian food at Bar Internazionale
From 1926-1933 the KPD (Communist Party of Germany) was headquartered in the Karl-Liebknecht-Haus next to what is today the Babylon Kino. There’s not a huge amount to see from this history, but there is an Italian restaurant opposite the Babylon with a rather left-leaning name!
Beer & Burgers at BrewDog Frankfurter Tor
Sip on craft beers in a building made as a monument to Stalin! I know BrewDog isn’t German, but they do host a lot of locally made beers, and after walking down the grand Karl-Marx-Allee you can’t help but want to see inside the buildings, can you?
I did a custom spy-focused East Berlin tour and we stopped off for a beer at Cafe Sibylle with Stalin’s moustache
Coffee, Cake, and half of Stalin’s Moustache at Cafe Sibylle
Everyone wants to eat cake while looking at half of Stalin’s moustache, right? The Stasi gave the order for the nearby statue of Stalin to be removed quickly and quietly overnight in the early ‘60s. The coffee and cake are great, but Cafe Sibylle has a neat little surprise - a small museum-like exhibition about the Karl-Marx-Allee, including original tiles, details on the construction, as well as one of Stalin’s ears and half of his moustache sneakily scooped up by the very people that were supposed to destroy it!
Section 3: Cold War Berlin Places to Stay the Night
I had great dreams of this blog post finding a little East German apartment block turned into a sweet B&B, or finding an old nuclear bunker where you could shack up for the night. As it turns out I couldn’t unearth so many things, still, pretty cool to dream of that 5-star life!
Sleep in East German glamour at the Park Inn
When the Hotel Stadt Berlin was opened in October 1970 it was the peak of glamour in the East. The socialist modernism-style building has been updated since then, but you can still go to bed in a very centrally located piece of East German history, and the view from up there is amazing.
Don’t want to sleep here? Go and jump off the roof. No, really. You can do bungee jumping from the top of the Park Inn!
5-star living next to the Brandenburg Gate at the Hotel Adlon Kempinski
Originally a hotel so fancy that the Kaiser himself stayed here (a lot), the Adlon had a grand reopening in 1997. During the Cold War though, the building served as a hotel for journalists right next to the Brandenburg Gate (and therefore the Berlin Wall) in East Berlin.
Even if your budget doesn’t stretch to a luxury bed for the night it’s fun to stop by for a drink and sit out on the terrace with a view of the Gate.
Just maybe don’t be the 100th person that day to ask about Michael Jackson.
The Cecilienhof Palace was the final palace built by the Prussian royal family
Stay in the Prussian Palace that was the birthplace of the Cold War at Cecilienhof
Damn, these Cold War themed accommodation suggestions are getting expensive! The Cecilienhof Palace was the last palace to be built by the Prussian royal family before the Kaiser’s abdication at the end of WWI. The palace was then used by Truman, Churchill Stalin met for the Potsdam Conference in the aftermath of WWII. For many people this conference marks the beginning of the Cold War.
We go by Cecilienhof on my Potsdam tour and my Cold War & Nature Bike Tour.
Top tip: the nearby Meierei is one of my favourite beer gardens. Click here to discover over 30 of Berlin’s gardens!
Photo by Sindy Süßengut on Unsplash
Sleep on top of your Trabi!
Alright, you can’t actually do this, but I wanted to throw it in. In East Germany you could buy this smart little tent that you could erect on top of your car. Bumpy, cold ground is a problem for campers no more!
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Section 4: Cold War Berlin Sights for history buffs willing to go the extra mile
The first sights are the easy ones to get to. The next ones are for people who really want to get out there and make a day of it. Let’s go!
Photo by Matthieu Rochette on Unsplash
Meet survivors of Stasi terror at Hohenschönhausen
Possibly the most valuable addition of the entire blog post: you can go to the Stasi’s most infamous prison, Hohenschönhausen, and be lead around by former inmates. A chance to meet living history! Now, tourism is all about expectation management so just be aware that most of the guides in English are academics. You’re much more likely to get a survivor if you’re doing the tour in German.The academics are also excellent, though.
Between Hohenschönhausen and the Stasi museum down the road in the old HQ building you can get a complete picture of what life was like for dissidents in East Germany. The Stasi were East Germany’s largest employer. Their insidious tactics lead to them controlling everything about everything in East Germany. The word “Hohenschönhausen” would send shivers down the spines of East Germans. This is where prisoners were kept for years, interrogated multiple times, and put through significant psychological torture.
See where Christiane F. lived in West Berlin’s Gropiusstadt
We tend to think of huge apartment buildings being built on the Eastern side of the Iron Curtain, but we for sure built them all over the West, too. Apartment blocks could be built quickly, cheaply, and much taller than pre-war housing units. They’re the future!
At least, they were. It turned out that these large apartment blocks were rather antisocial. The outdoor areas left people feeling watched, no sense of ownership lead to things being broken, graffitied, and never fixed up.
In West Berlin the Gropiusstadt became emblematic of these developments. It was planned in the 1950s with a great deal of optimism, but by the ‘70s the area had become poverty-stricken and problematic. It was at this time that Christiane F. moved here. Her account of living in the Gropiusstadt made sure that people all across West Germany knew that the place had a very poor reputation.
This idyllic location used to be filled with Cold War tensions
Come in from the cold and cross the infamous ‘Bridge of Spies’ between Potsdam and Berlin
When we think of checkpoints in the Wall, of course we think of Checkpoint Charlie. There were actually many other checkpoints though, and the most well-known is probably the Glienicke Brücke, aka ‘The Bridge of Spies’ (thanks, Tom Hanks).
The bridge connects Berlin and Potsdam, meaning that during the Cold War it connected West Berlin’s American Sector with Soviet-occupied East Germany. A few spy swaps were organised here, but the best-known one is the first: Francis Gary Powers, shot down while flying a U2 spy plane over the Soviet Union, taken in by the KGB and given a sentence for prison and hard labour. Around the same time Soviet spy Rudolf Abel (who grew up in the UK) was rumbled in the US and awaiting trial. Powers’ father started making frantic phone calls, even trying to get in touch with Nikita Khrushchev directly, before the CIA told him to pump the brakes, they had a plan in action.
The plaque on the side of the Schöneberg Town Hall
“Ick bin ein Berliner” said JFK, outside the Schöneberg town hall
With Berlin’s town hall situated in East Berlin, Schöneberg in the American Sector took over town hall duties for West Berlin. On the 26th of June, 1963, almost 2 years since the Berlin Wall went up, JFK came to visit Berlin. The visit a big seal of approval from the West: ‘we are here to stay’. JFK wanted to reassure West Berliners that despite the Wall, the USA, Britain, and France were not going to give up on West Berlin.
Reportedly one in 3 people in West Berlin came out to see JFK’s motorcade pass on the street. Outside the Schöneberg town hall there was scarcely room to move!
The highest elevation in West Berlin was a British & US spy station
It’s always covered in graffiti, but I think the memorial still has a big effect
Visit East Germany’s epic memorial for Communist Party leader Ernst Thälmann
Ernst Thälmann was the leader of the KPD when the Nazis came to power. He was imprisoned in the Buchenwald concentration camp, where he eventually died. In East Germany many streets went on to bear his name, but the huge memorial in East Berlin, unveiled in 1986, is the most impressive monument to him.
If you’re wondering why it’s still there, well, there’s a simple rule in Berlin. We’re allowed to have monuments for and streets named after people so long as they weren’t a member of some kind of tyrannical government. So, no streets named after Adolf Hitler or Walter Ulbricht, but Thälmann? Thälmann never held office, so his memorial still stands.
Visit a former KGB prison in Potsdam’s ‘Forbidden City’
Next to the Cecilienhof Palace was the ‘Verbotene Stadt’ of the Soviet Union in Potsdam. Walled off from the rest of the city, the forbidden city operated almost like a Soviet exclave. The Soviet flag was raised and the Soviet national anthem (which let’s be honest, is a banger) was sung every day, there was a school for the children of the Soviet families living there, and of course there was the KGB prison as well. Try to book a tour if you can!
60. See the memorial for the Berlin Airlift and take a look at the Tempelhof Airport building
One of the defining early moments of the Cold War was the Berlin Airlift. West Berlin had barricaded by the Soviets, with zero supplies coming in. The Western powers put together a plan to fly everything into West Berlin and it was a huge success, continuing for 11 months. A memorial was built outside the defining airport behind the operation, the Albert Speer-designed Tempelhof Airport in the American Sector.
The former airfield is now a park, and it’s even possible to do tours inside of the building!
See the Radio in the American Sector (RIAS) building
Most people who lived in Cold War Berlin remember tuning into RIAS. The radio waves of course didn’t just stop at the Berlin Wall - Western media was able to make its way into East Berlin. Heralded as the truth by the West and lambasted as propaganda by the East, RIAS was able to deliver news to East Germans that their government didn’t want them to hear.
Discover where the Soviets got on the airwaves at the Funkhaus
The Eastern equivalent to RIAS was the Funkhaus in Nalepstrasse, East Berlin. After the establishment of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), new transmitters, including Berliner Rundfunk and Deutschlandsender, were developed under Soviet supervision. In 1951, a broadcasting centre was established in a former plywood factory on Nalepastrasse in the Soviet sector. All national East German radio stations were based here, which at one point meant that more than 5000 people worked here.
The architecture is phenomenal both inside and out. If you want to see the inside make sure to book onto a tour (first and last Saturdays of the month, German only, but the buildings still look cool!)
You can find an original guard tower sat in a former East Berlin park
Have a look at an original Berlin Wall guard tower in the Schlesischer Busch park
Smack bang in the middle of the Schlesischer Busch park is an original East German guard tower. It’s really impossible to miss. You can’t go in, you can just admire the graffiti from the outside. One best left to the most hardcore reading this article, maybe?
Section 5: Cold War Berlin Sights for the biggest Cold War nerds out there (like me)
To research my tours, shoot my videos, and just to nerd out I like to visit some of the harder to reach, niche, and obscure Cold War “sights” out there. I warn you now, there is sometimes nothing to see at all at these locations. These really are for the most dedicated and biggest nerds like me!
Discover where US soldiers used to make a lot of noise training for urban warfare at Doughboy City
The American forces in Berlin built a fake town right next to the Berlin Wall and practised manoeuvres there. This included tanks, blanks, and lots of loud noises. East German border guards had a clear view of the action and would watch closely. West German neighbours would close their curtains and complain about the noise, eventually pressuring the Americans to finish practising no later than 10pm.
If you visit today you can see a fence and a few bits of concrete on the ground if you peer through.
Walk in the footsteps of East German film icons at the Paul & Paula Ufer
The Legend of Paul and Paula was one of East Germany’s most popular movies. Legend has it that Erich Honecker, East Germany’s second General Secretary himself, saved this one from state censorship. The titular Paul and Paula are filmed on a bay coming off the Spree river, the Rummelsburger Bucht, which is now a popular place for walkers, joggers, and cyclists.
Explore a West Berlin exclave in the East at Steinstücken
Steinstücken was a small collection of West Berlin houses entirely surrounded by the Berlin Wall. Residents had to go through checkpoints at either end of a short dirt road to be let in and out of their homes, and the East didn’t let American forces through at all: they had to use a helicopter for 10 years!
If you visit today you’ll find a small play park with a helicopter climbing frame as well as two rotor blades where the landing pad used to be.
Is this really a Cold War sight? I mean, kind of…
Learn about the largest battle ever on German soil at the Seelow Heights Museum
Before the Red Army could get to Berlin they had to smash through 9 lines of defence at Seelow Heights. In April 1945 more than a million Red Army soldiers crossed the river Neisse and the battle commenced. Of course, it was a resounding victory for the Soviets. A memorial and cemetery were built here where celebrations would take place during the Cold War.
See where the Berlin Wall tore through a church by a lake at the Heilandskirche on the border of Potsdam & Berlin
The beautiful 19th Century Heilandskirche was trapped in the Berlin Wall in 1961. Despite this, the bold pastor Joachim Strauss bargained with the East German government to allow his parishioners into the “Death Strip” for church services up to December of ‘61.
The church was inaccessible for the rest of the Cold War, but Strauss was delighted to come out of retirement and give the first sermon here 28 years at Christmas 1989.
Explore the abandoned Soviet military base, Vogelsang
Vogelsang was one of the largest Soviet military bases in East Germany, and even once held nuclear weapons. The exact date they were removed is unclear, but it’s safe to say they’re gone now (I hope!)
This one requires a bit of confidence to get to. From the Vogelsang station (RB12 train) you’ll have to head north a fair bit until you enter the world of the Soviet past.
You can see an original part of the Operation Gold tunnel in the allied museum
See where the US & UK spied on the Soviets (and were betrayed!) at the Operation Gold tunnel
Deep in the American sector, in the West Berlin district of Rudow, the Brits and the Americans dug a tunnel into the Soviet Sector. Using the latest and greatest tech they tapped into communications lines and got troves of information for almost a year! How was this such a success? The Soviets knew all about it. They had a mole (quite literally in this case!) British turncoat George Blake was operating as a double agent during the entire operation. He was rumbled, sent to prison in the UK, from which he managed to escape in 1966. He died in Moscow at the end of 2020.
Take a trip to a small town surrounded by beautiful lakes to see where the East German government really lived: The Waldsiedlung in Wandlitz
Shook by the uprisings in East Germany in 1953 and Hungary in 1956, East Germany’s leader, Walter Ulbricht, had a secret, secluded estate built for the East German elite. Comprising 23 rather modest houses, walled in and watched by the secret police, the East German elite lived separate and much more privileged lives out by the Wandlitz lake.
When the wall came down nearby villagers came went through the houses, and they were shocked to see that those purporting equality and lambasting the West had enjoyed Western goods, and things that were rare delicacies for the people of East Germany like tropical fruits.
The entire site is now a care home for the elderly. It is completely accessible and filled with signs and maps making clear which East German government member lived where.
See where the Four Power Agreement was signed at the Allied Control Council
In 1971 Cold War relations started to thaw. Ambassadors from Britain, France, the USA, and the USSR met and thrashed out improved details for relations going forward in divided Berlin. West Berlin’s political status as a ‘kind of but not’ part of West Germany was left vague. Nevertheless, the agreement vastly improved practical relations between the two Germanies; think trade, tourism, and communication.
The building today is the highest court in Berlin, the Kammergericht. You can find it in Schöneberg, the former American sector.
Explore Erich Honecker’s FDJ University at Bogensee
North of Berlin near lake Bogensee the Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels built himself a nice, small villa. The site was seized by the Soviet Union after the War, and a young Erich Honecker requested the SMAD (Soviet Military Administration Germany) hand over the site to him to help him train the leaders of East Germany’s youth movement, the FDJ (Freie Deutsche Jugend or ‘Free German Youth’).
The Bogensee villa and former FDJ buildings are in pretty good nick to say they’ve scarcely been used at all since 1999. Despite being in Brandenburg the buildings are owned by the state of Berlin. They are for sale, but they want to find a buyer that will look after all of the buildings and include a museum, and so far that hasn’t been forthcoming.
There are plenty of betreten verboten (trespassing forbidden) signs around the place, but if you’re willing to walk past them you can get a fairly unobstructed view of most buildings, so I’m told.
The light here early in the morning is mesmerising
See the gravesite of prominent East Germans at the Memorial of the Socialists in Friedrichsfelde
In the East Berlin district of Lichtenberg you can find the Memorial of the Socialists. Here, leading figures from the German left are buried, from Rosa Luxemburg & Karl Liebknecht to Otto Grotewohl & Walter Ulbricht. The memorial was designed by East Germany’s first and only president, Wilhelm Pieck, who is also buried here.
You can also find the graves of two notorious Stasi figures who didn't much care for one another; Markus Wolf and Erich Mielke. Wolf is buried with his beloved brother, Konrad. Mielke, head of the Stasi for the majority of its existence, is buried in an unmarked grave. I’ve put it on the map for you, though.
The entire cemetery here is worth exploring. You can find Käthe Kollwitz’s grave here, whose pacifist artworks were seized and destroyed by the Nazis.
See the grave of the Atomic Spy, Klaus Fuchs
You can also find the grave of one of Germany’s leading physicists here, Klaus Fuchs. During World War II, Fuchs worked on the British nuclear weapons project known as the Tube Alloys. In 1943, he was recruited by the Soviet Union's intelligence agency, the NKVD, and began passing classified information about nuclear weapons to the Soviets. Fuchs provided crucial details about the Manhattan Project, the American effort to build an atomic bomb. Fuchs was rumbled in the ‘50s. After almost a decade in prison he moved to East Germany, where he was highly decorated with awards, in 1959.
For giving the Soviets important information on how to build nuclear weapons, Fuchs is often credited with helping tip balance of power, thus accelerating the Cold War.
Admire aircraft at the old RAF base Berlin Gatow
Just down the road from the British barracks was an airport designed by Nazi architect Ernst Saagebiel. It was seized by the Red Army at the end of the War, who apparently had a brief scuffle with British forces, criticised for arriving too early in 1945!
The RAF would go on to use Gatow to bring in supplies during the Berlin Airlift, including landing seaplanes on the nearby lake Wannsee. When Queen Elizabeth II visited Berlin, she landed at Gatow.
The entire site is now a museum. If you’re an aviation enthusiast get yourself to Gatow, you won’t be disappointed!
If you can time it right coming down here will be an unforgettable experience
A place of death & division turned into a place of peace and celebration: TV-Asahi-Kirschblütenallee
What used to be the “Death Strip” dividing West Berlin from East Germany is now a long path filled with cherry blossom trees that were a gift from Japan after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Of course, the truly special time to arrive is at the end of April/beginning of May, when you can catch the trees at their pinkest.
Visit the ‘Loneliest Man in The World’ at Spandau Prison
Bauamt Süd, Einofski, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Originally constructed in 1876, this fortress-like facility underwent several transformations before becoming a focal point of Allied efforts during and after World War II.
In the aftermath of the war, Spandau Prison was designated as the detention site for senior Nazi officials sentenced during the Nuremberg Trials. Its most famous inmate, Rudolf Hess, Hitler's deputy, spent the latter part of his life here, isolated from the outside world until his death in 1987. Following Hess's death, the prison was promptly demolished to prevent it from becoming a neo-Nazi shrine.
A supermarket was built in its place. British forces nicknamed it “Hesscos”.
Visit the site of the 1986 La Belle Discotheque Bombing
The 1986 La Belle discotheque bombing in West Berlin, perpetrated by Libyan agents, killed two American soldiers and a Turkish woman, injuring 229 others. The U.S. quickly attributed the attack to Libya, leading President Reagan to order airstrikes on Libya, aiming to curb its support for terrorism. Investigations post-Berlin Wall fall led to the conviction of four individuals in 2001, affirming Libya's involvement but not directly implicating its leader, Gaddafi. The event underscored the era's geopolitical tensions and the extents of state-sponsored terrorism.
The Stasi, East Germany's secret police, had prior knowledge of the La Belle discotheque bombing plans but was not directly involved in its execution. Evidence from Stasi archives contributed to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators in the aftermath of German reunification.
Section 6: Allied Institutions
Alright, we’re getting really deep here. Let’s go over the Western forces and then look at some Soviet locations.
Where were the Allied Barracks in West Berlin?
Here are some barracks and other key Cold War Berlin locations related to the Western forces.
US Forces
Andrews Barracks
Originally constructed as the Hauptkadettenanstalt in Lichterfelde between 1871-78, Andrews Barracks underwent various military and educational uses until its transformation into a U.S. military base following World War II. The site was extensively expanded and repurposed, serving as a complex for military operations. Notably, during the Nazi era, the Waffen-SS utilised the premises, undertaking significant renovations and erecting structures such as the Schwimmhalle. Today, the Andrews Chapel, once part of the SS compound, houses the library reading room of the Bundesarchiv (German Federal Archives).
McNair Barracks
Initially the site of the Telefunken headquarters and factory built in the 1930s, the McNair Barracks in Lichterfelde, Berlin, served as the headquarters of the Berlin Brigade from 1945 to 1994. The complex, named after Lieutenant General Lesley J. McNair, housed various military facilities and accommodation for soldiers, featuring amenities such as schools, clubs, theaters, and dining areas. After the withdrawal of the U.S. forces in 1994, the site underwent privatisation and conversion into residential apartments.
Roosevelt Barracks
Originally constructed in 1884, the Roosevelt Barracks in Lichterfelde, Berlin, originally housed a Royal Prussian Guards Regiment. Confiscated by U.S. forces in 1945, it was named after Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (son of President Theodore Roosevelt). Following the withdrawal of U.S. forces, it briefly housed Bundeswehr units and served as a site for the Federal Supervisory Authority for Financial Services. Since 2003 it has been owned by the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), Germany's foreign intelligence service.
Turner Barracks
Turner Barracks, located in Berlin-Dahlem, was one of the four barrack complexes accommodating US forces in Berlin. Constructed in 1951 to house Company F, 40th Armor, it was named after Sergeant First Class Charles William Turner, a Korean War hero. The barracks were demolished in 1998, making way for a residential development called "Am Petersberg," primarily intended for German federal employees. The new development features urban villas constructed in 1990, offering over one hundred residential units. The former site of the American filling station now houses a supermarket, and the area surrounding the former ammunition depot has been designated as a protected zone with a dog exercise area.
French Forces West Berlin Locations
French troops were stationed in the delightfully named “Quartier Napoleon”. Starting in the middle of the ‘60s the French held open days here, but the site was usually closed to those not associated with the French forces. That is, except for a small cinema called the L’Aiglon. The L’Aiglon (Little Eagle) is still there, though it’s long since fallen out of use.
Tegel Airport
Tegel Airport was constructed by French forces in less than three months to support the Berlin Blockade in 1948. The runway was built with both hard work and luck through the Winter of ‘48 & ‘49. Without it, the Berlin Airlift would never have been such a success. Tegel became West Berlin’s “other” airport (Tempelhof being the most well-known) in the ‘70s, and continued operating until 2020. I and many other Berliners miss it!
French Station Berlin-Tegel
Originally serving as the railway station of Berlin-Tegel Airport, the French Station Berlin-Tegel facilitated transportation for French forces and later travellers, including French exchange students, until September 1994.
Napoleon Quarter
The Napoleon Quarter, located in Reinickendorf, served as the headquarters of the largest French garrison in Germany from 1947 to 1990. It was heavily damaged during World War II and later rebuilt by French occupation forces. Today it houses German armed forces, the Bundeswehr.
Maison de France
Built between 1948 and 1950, the Maison de France served as a cultural centre to promote Franco-German relations and spread French culture and language. It also houses the French consulate and serves as the headquarters of the Institut Français de Berlin.
French Housing Estates (Cités)
French housing estates, including Pasteur, Guynemer, Joffre, and Foch Estates, were built from the 1950s onwards to accommodate air force personnel. The Cité Foch in Wittenau was the largest French estate in Berlin, featuring various amenities but restricted access due to military installations.
Cité Pasteur
The Pasteur Estate housed French military personnel and their families. The French forces, part of the Allied garrison in West Berlin, were there from the end of World War II in 1945 until the troops were withdrawn in 1994 following the end of the Cold War. The Pasteur Estate specifically included amenities such as the Hôpital Louis-Pasteur.
Cité Foch
The Foch Estate (Cité Foch) in Berlin-Reinickendorf is named after Marshal Ferdinand Foch who commanded Allied forces against Germany on the Western Front in WWI. Constructed between 1952 and 1976 to house French forces and their families, it spans approximately 47 hectares. Today, it retains a certain French charm, especially evident in the French names of streets including Avenue Charles de Gaulle, Rue Montesquieu, and Rue Racine.
Cité Guynemer
Named after Georges Guynemer, a celebrated French World War I pilot known for his aerial victories and heroism.
Cité Joffre
The Joffre Estate in Berlin-Reinickendorf commemorates Marshal Joseph Joffre, renowned for his role as the French military commander during the critical battles of the Marne in World War I. This residential area was established to provide accommodation for French military personnel and their dependents.
Centre Français de Berlin
The Centre Français de Berlin (CFB) was built in the early ‘60s with the aim of contributing to the European spirit of friendship among peoples, focusing on youth, education, and culture. It organises a multitude of activities, including youth meetings, cultural events, and educational programs, aiming to foster dialogue between cultures and break down stereotypes.
It used to have a wooden Eiffel Tower out the front, but it was sadly removed after falling into disrepair.
British Forces Cold War Berlin Locations
British Cold War barracks in West Berlin
Montgomery Barracks
Montgomery Barracks, located in the Kladow district of Spandau, West Berlin, were originally built between 1935-1939 as a school for the Luftwaffe's signal wing. Following World War II, these barracks first fell into Soviet hands before being handed over to the British when Berlin was divided into four sectors. Named after Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, the barracks housed various infantry battalions of the British Army and played a pivotal role throughout the Cold War period. The Berlin Wall ran along the perimeter of the barracks, which became a point of interest and surveillance by Russian outposts. In September 1993, following the end of the Cold War and the British Army's withdrawal from Berlin, the barracks were transferred back to German control.
Smuts Barracks
muts Barracks in West Berlin, named after Field Marshal Jan Christiaan Smuts, was primarily used by the British Army's armoured units, including 18 modified Chieftain tanks, ready for rapid deployment. Throughout its operational period from 1948 to 1991, it hosted various British armoured and cavalry squadrons, demonstrating the barracks' strategic military importance during the Cold War. The barracks also housed the 38 (Berlin) Field Squadron Royal Engineers, providing engineering support to the Berlin Brigade until 1994. Following the Cold War, the barracks was closed and is now privately owned.
Brooke Barracks
Constructed between 1914 and 1918 with additional buildings added in the 1930s, the Brooke Barracks (originally Schmidt-Knobelsdorf-Kaserne) were situated in the southern part of a complex in Spandau's Wilhelmstadt district. The barracks comprised two- to four-storey brick buildings with hip roofs aligned along Schmidt-Knobelsdorf-Straße, characterized by strong corner articulations, flat central projections, and framed entrance portals. Named after Field Marshal Alan Francis Brooke, a key advisor to Winston Churchill and the Allies during World War II, these barracks served as a base for British forces from 1945 to 1990.
Wavell Barracks
The Wavell Barracks (originally Von-Seeckt-Kaserne), named after Field Marshal Sir Archibald Percival Wavell for his service in the Middle East and India during World War II, were constructed in 1935-36 under the supervision of Robert Kisch for the Army High Command. Located in the northern part of the complex, these barracks featured brick buildings around a parade ground, with the troop barracks along Seecktstraße having three full storeys, gable roofs, and developed attics.
Ruhleben “Fighting City”
tormentor4555, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Ruhleben "Fighting City" in Berlin was a specialized urban warfare training facility initially established by British forces to prepare for potential Cold War confrontations. It featured a variety of buildings and infrastructure, including concrete houses, a church, bridges, a supermarket, and a car park, to simulate real-life urban environments. In the 1980s, the site was significantly expanded and modernized to enhance training capabilities. After the British forces' departure, the Berlin Police took over the facility, continuing its use as a training ground for law enforcement operations.
BRIXMIS HQ Potsdam
BRIXMIS, the British Commanders'-in-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany, was a military liaison mission established after World War II under the Robertson-Malinin Agreement. Operating from 1946 to 1990, it allowed British military personnel legal access to East Germany for surveillance and intelligence gathering during the Cold War. Based in Potsdam, BRIXMIS played a crucial role in monitoring Soviet military activities, exploiting its unique position to conduct espionage while ostensibly fostering communication between the British and Soviet forces.
Established after WWII, the British BRIXMIS mission, headquartered at 34 Seestrasse, Potsdam, just near the “Bridge of Spies”, facilitated espionage activities during the Cold War. Operating under the Robertson-Malinin Agreement, BRIXMIS members conducted reconnaissance in East Germany, exploiting access for intelligence on Soviet military. The mission's operations, marked by daring and innovation, continued until the Berlin Wall's fall, ending in 1990 as geopolitical tensions eased with the Cold War's conclusion.
Key Soviet Cold War East Berlin Locations
The Soviets of course had a huge presence in East Berlin. Unlike the other 3 powers their territory wasn’t limited to just Berlin. To this day former Soviet military bases and barracks litter the Brandenburg countryside, just begging to be explored.
“Forbidden City” Wünsdorf
The second Soviet “Forbidden City” on our list, because one isn’t enough.
The Soviet military complex in Zossen, Wünsdorf, known as "The Forbidden City," was a pivotal command center for the Soviet forces in Germany during the Cold War. It comprised extensive barracks, offices, and training facilities, effectively serving as the nerve center for Soviet military operations in East Germany.
The space is now abandoned, but hop the fence at your own risk: security appears to be quite vigilant!
Karlshorst Museum
Ostensibly covering the Eastern Front in WWII, the museum was set up in the 1960s and has a distinct Cold War edge (and aroma) to it. Free museum, and rather cool in my opinion.
SMAD HQ / Soviet Military HQ
Soviet Military Administration Deutschland operated here until command over the country was handed over to Walter Ulbricht and his gang with the founding of East Germany. The Soviet armed forces continued to use this area, originally built and used for the Wehrmacht in 1937, throughout the Cold War.
KGB HQ
Of course, no Soviet walled-off Cold War military HQ would be complete without KGB presence. This was the largest KGB office outside the USSR, and naturally served as the hub of the Soviets’ East German operations.
The Soviet General Consulate
Situated in the villa at Reichensteiner Weg 34/36 in Dahlem, Berlin, became operational in May 1973 amidst the Cold War's tense atmosphere. This consulate, shrouded in mystery and rumors of espionage, served as a significant outpost for the Soviets in West Berlin's affluent residential area, raising speculations about its activities being beyond diplomatic functions. Its history traces back to the late 1920s and includes being the residence of a notable Nazi figure before transitioning to a diplomatic site. Today, it stands abandoned, a relic of geopolitical intrigues and shifting power dynamics, encapsulating a complex legacy within its walls.
Did I miss something? Tell me your favourite Berlin Cold War locations!
Is your favourite Berlin Cold War location not featured here? I want to know follow me on my socials and send me a message and I’ll (eventually) add it to the list!
