Berlin Kreuzberg

Museums in Kreuzberg are a grab-bag. This area has one must-see (the Jewish Museum). You can see the rest if it’s raining out or you’re feeling especially ambitious.

Jüdisches Musem (Jewish Museum). Architect Daniel Libeskind’s design for the zinc-plated Jewish Museum is fascinating even as an architectural experience. No two walls are parallel, creating a sensation of perpetual discomfort. Underground, three symbolic hallways—the Axis of the Holocaust, the Axis of Exile, and the Axis of Continuity —are intended to represent the trials of death, escape, and survival. The labyrinthine “Garden of Exile” replicates the dizzying effects of dislocation and the eerie “Holocaust Tower,” a giant, asymmetrical concrete room nearly devoid of light and sound, encourages reflection. Exhibits feature works by contemporary artists, memorials to victims of the Holocaust, and a history of Jews in Germany. Enter at the top of the stairs from the Axis of Continuity. (Lindenstr. 9-14. U6 to Kochstr., or U1, U6, or U15 to Prinzenstr. ☎030 25 99 33 00. Open M 10am-10pm, Tu-Su 10am-8pm. Last entry 1hr. before closing. €5, students €2.50. Special exhibits €4. Audio tour €2.)

Martin-Gropius-Bau. After standing for years in the shadow of the Wall, Martin-Gropius-Bau has returned to its rightful place as the city’s most beautiful and important exhibition space. Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius’ great-uncle designed the building, which houses temporary exhibits of photography, painting, and decorative art. (Niederkirchnerstr. 7. U6 to Kochstr. ☎030 254 860; www.gropiusbau.de. Open M and W-Su 10am-8pm. Price varies by exhibition. Free tours of the space once per month; check the website.)

Haus Am Checkpoint Charlie. Checkpoint Charlie, the border crossing between former East and West Berlin has become one of Berlin’s most popular attractions, with tour buses, stands selling DDR memorabilia, actors clad as soldiers, and a table where you can get your passport “stamped.” Perhaps the biggest rip-off (those actors only charge €1 per photo) in the area is the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, a two-bedroom apartment turned private museum. The exhibits detail how women curled up in loudspeakers, students dug tunnels with their fingers, and others found ingenious ways of getting into the West. Much of the same information can be gleaned for free by reading the placards along Kochstraße, where the wall used to run. (Friedrichstr. 43-45. U6 to Kochstr. ☎030 253 7250; www.mauer-museum.de. Museum open daily 9am-10pm. German-language films with English subtitles every 2hr. from 9:30am. €12.50, students €9.50. Audio tour €3.)

Deutsches Technikmuseum. The airplane on the roof is a C-47, one of the original fleet of “raisin bombers” that kept West Berlin fed during the airlift. Inside, a colossal museum features aged trains, a history of film technology, and full-size model ships through which you’re free to wander. Across the parking lot, another building features a collection of classic cars, music-makers, a plethora of science experiments involving optical illusions, and—best of all—a revolving playhouse. The new aeronautical wing documents the history of flight; its displays range from life-size planes to a whole room full of engines. Some exhibits are in English. (Trebbiner Str. 9. U1, U2, or U15 to Gleisdreieck, or U1, U7, or U15 to Möckernbrücke. ☎030 902 540; www.stdb.de. Open Tu-F 9am-6pm, Sa-Su 10am-6pm. Last entry 30min. before closing. €4.50, students €2.50. Audio guides €2. Some special exhibits cost extra. 1st Su of the month free.)

Topographie Des Terrors (Topography Of Terror). This “temporary outdoor museum” on an eerie, open field marks the location of the former SS Gestapo headquarters with terrifying exhibits on the history of the Gestapo. A permanent exhibition is slated to open in 2010. (Niederkirchnerstr. 8. U6 to Kochstr. ☎030 2545 0950. Exhibits in German; English audio guides. Open May-Sept. 10am-8pm; Oct.-Apr. 10am-dusk. Audio guides free.)

Schwules Museum (Gay Museum). Tucked into a courtyard off Mehringdamm, the only federally funded museum focused on gay culture in the world recounts the history of homosexuals in Germany from 1800 to 1970, with a focus on persecution under the Nazis. A lending library contains thousands of periodicals, books, and films. (Mehringdamm 61. ☎030 6959 9050. Open Tu-F 2-6pm, Sa 2-7pm. €5, students €3.)