Historic WWI and WWII Sites in Germany

As a nation, Germany has always prided itself on its remembrance of its history. The past has shaped the present and the future, and it has served as a guiding light for many people throughout German history.

But it’s not just German remembrance that’s important, and this is why visiting historic WWI and WWII sites in Berlin should be one of your top priorities.

Checkpoint Charlie remains one of the best-known World War II sites, while Tiergarten's Soviet War Memorial pays homage to those who gave their lives liberating Berlin.

Vorbunker & Fuhrerbunker

After several years into the Third Reich, Hitler decided that his Reich Chancellery headquarters were too small and ordered the construction of an air raid bunker underneath it. This shelter would protect him from British and American bombers dropping bombs on Berlin. The complex was constructed in two stages: Vorbunker (later changed to Fuhrerbunker), completed in 1936 was so deep it allowed Hitler's bodyguards, servants, and family members to remain safe during air raids.

The Fuhrerbunker was designed by an architectural team led by Albert Speer. Located 28 feet (8.5 m) beneath the old Reich Chancellery garden 131 yards north of it, its walls were constructed thick enough to withstand direct hits by 1,000-pound bombs; construction cost 1.4 million Reichsmarks with its own ventilation system installed as part of this complex.

As the war progressed, it became apparent that Fuhrer's position was increasingly untenable. He began using bunker time to strategize with military commanders as Allies airstrikes eroded away at his empire. Furthermore, this small space served as an ongoing reminder of his failing leadership and impending assault from Allies on Berlin.

In January of 1945, Hitler relocated his headquarters to the Fuhrerbunker. There he would remain for his final 105 days of life before taking his own life on April 30, 1945; Joseph Goebbels and six of his children also took their own lives on that same day.

The bunker could only be reached through double steel gas-proof doors set into its protective walls, which were set 7.2 feet (2 m). A dogleg staircase led down to its entrance which was flanked by two guarded rooms where RSD and SS-Begleitkommando sentries checked credentials before admitting visitors into any rooms occupied by Hitler and his staff; visitors could only tour this section. Black and white photos and drawings depict this chilling space when shown to Allied visitors after World War II had ended.

Topography of Terror

The Topography of Terror is one of Berlin's most visited museums, located on what once housed Gestapo, SS and Reich Security Main Offices. An awe-inspiring place, yet also a warning against repeating such evil acts from history, this memorial features three permanent collections; its documentation center, open-air exhibition trench, and excavated buildings serve as witness sites.

Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse once housed institutions of terror that perpetrated terror upon Europe during occupied Europe. A competition was held to design the Documentation Center and Terrain; its winning proposal avoided glorifying the area by emphasizing perpetrators of Nazism; its airy design allowed visitors to view its primary exhibit from any location within the building.

The exhibition also pays homage to those murdered by Nazism, commemorating their victims and roles through photographs and documents as well as recounting accounts from those arrested at SS torture chambers.

Visitors to Auschwitz-Birkenau can witness first-hand how the Nazi regime planned, developed, and executed its euthanasia program at this SS death camp - thousands of patients from sanatoriums and nursing homes as well as Sinti and Roma people were executed under its Nazi regime here.

Courtroom 600, an exhibit featuring how an Allied panel of judges tried to secure justice during the Nuremberg Trials, features over 110 photo and text documents as well as 15 audio stations that provide details and explain their significance.

Nuremberg offers many World War I and WWII attractions beyond these potency sites, such as its powerful memorial sites. Nuremberg became famous as it became where some of Germany's most notorious henchmen were brought to justice and punished for their wartime atrocities; many even received death sentences. Former Nazi headquarters now house the International Trial Museum which houses exhibitions about these trials as well as Courtroom 600 from where these trials occurred.

Anhalter Bahnhof

Prior to Hitler's rise to power, Anhalter Bahnhof was one of Berlin's busiest long-distance train stations and one of its grandest buildings. With six platforms that could service trains every three to five minutes (compared with two to four minutes at Tempelhof), Anhalter Bahnhof could handle long-distance departures more efficiently than anywhere else in Berlin.

After Nazism took control of Germany, Anhalter Bahnhof became a center for book burnings across the nation. Students organized these events locally by gathering into groups to raid private and public library shelves before torching them all at once. Today, one of Germany's most iconic memorials to war victims remains at this station: depicting a mother holding her helpless dead son as one of its central monuments is still visible today at Anhalter Bahnhof memorial.

Anhalter Station was constructed facing Askanischer Platz, an enlarged section of a street then known as Hirschelstrasse, Koniggratzer Strasse, Stresemannstrasse and Saarlandstrasse; at that time Berlin's old customs or excise wall (German: Akzisemauer) ran down its center; when Anhalter was constructed there was no opening in this part of Berlin's customs/excisemauer to provide access from outside to this station from within Berlin proper; therefore Anhalter became essential in connecting people from within Berlin to it and beyond it.

Anhalter suffered significant damage from Allied bombing during the latter stages of World War II. Yet it managed to open again as a basic rail station in June 1946 and full services resumed three years later with full dismantlement of its once impressive overall roof.

Cold War politics would eventually see Anhalter Station closed down. Due to its location within Berlin's zone occupied by the Allies Occupying Powers, trains from Soviet-controlled East Germany could terminate there and create major difficulties for occupying forces. Thus all services were transferred eight years later and Anhalter finally closed its doors for good.

Today the building houses a museum dedicated to German emigration history and should not be missed when visiting Berlin. Here you will learn more about famous emigrants such as Thomas Mann and Albert Einstein who managed to continue their careers abroad while others forced into exile by the Nazi regime lost both wealth and cultural and professional identities - an experience you won't forget after visiting.

St. Peter’s Church

Though this church lacks the massive squares found elsewhere on the Topography of Terror site, it still occupies a central spot in town. The red brick exterior is dominated by an attractive central gable that is embraced by two towers. Inside you'll find works from different periods - including a sculpture group depicting Saint Munditia.

Church was severely damaged during WWII, yet remains relatively good condition today and boasts several interesting historical features. For instance, its tower was often used as an air raid target or goal marker during combat operations during World War II; furthermore it served as an Allied target during bombing attacks against Hamburg, leaving its roof with a significant hole.

During Allied bombing of Germany, artwork and sculptures were removed from churches, museums and castles and stored in bunkers, caves or underground vaults for safekeeping. Nuremberg's Historiches Kuntsbunker or art bunker is one such shelter; with an elaborate tunnel system open for tours. You'll see paintings, statues, jewelry as well as wine bottles from when it served as an art storage facility.

Dachau is one of the best ways to gain insight into WWII. This 4.7 acre memorial site, created by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold, serves as a testament to Jewish Holocaust victims with 2,711 concrete slabs known as stelae as memorials lining paths through its grounds - also serving as memorials against atrocities committed during its occupation by Nazi Germany. A museum on site details events that occurred there.

It is an emotional and eye-opening site - the sole memorial of its kind in Germany - and should be visited during any trip to Germany. Open year round and free to visit, taking guided tours from Berlin or Nuremberg is one way to reach it; alternatively the National WWII Museum offers 12-day trips around Germany and Poland which explore its rise and fall including sites such as Olympic Stadium, Reichstag, Auschwitz Wannsee Warsaw as part of their journey.