Stasi Museum, Berlin: Photos, Reviews & Location

Museum with Stasi spying equipment & archives housed in imposing, original HQ of the secret police.

At a glance

#112 of 148 Tourist attractions in Berlin #40 of 66 Museums in Berlin

LocalGuideWorld score: 4.40

6.3 km from the center of Berlin

Rating breakdown

5 ★62%
4 ★27%
3 ★8%
2 ★2%
1 ★2%

What reviewers talk about

Share of 16 recent reviews that mention each topic.

Service & staff25%
Price & value19%
Location13%
Atmosphere13%
View6%

Normannenstraße 20/Haus 1, 10365 Berlin, Germany

stasimuseum.de

+49 30 5536854

Quick facts

What is the rating of Stasi Museum?: Stasi Museum is rated 4.4 out of 5 based on 14,961 reviews.
How does Stasi Museum rank in Berlin?: Stasi Museum is #112 of 148 Tourist attractions in Berlin by LocalGuideWorld score (rating weighted by number of reviews).
Where is Stasi Museum located?: Normannenstraße 20/Haus 1, 10365 Berlin, Germany — 6.3 km from the center of Berlin.
What do visitors mention most about Stasi Museum?: Most often: service & staff, price & value, location (from 16 recent reviews).
How can I contact Stasi Museum?: Phone: +49 30 5536854 · Website: stasimuseum.de

Not for the faint hearted. We had an amazing guide, Liam, a historian from Canada. He really brought the place into context without being over dramatic and managed some humour in such a tragic place. It helps if you know the context and we visited after having seen the Topographie of Terror, the Reichstag and the wall museum (as well as having good background knowledge).
I found it chilling in its banality somehow. The flooring, the seeming comfort of the cells but the psychology to break people was brutal.

Not for children.

Transport: tram M5 from Alexanderplatz.

Yusuf Hadi 2024 Sep 29

The Stasi Museum in Berlin is like a time capsule, it’s an absolute must-visit if you’re into history or just want to understand more about life in East Germany during the Cold War. It’s located in the actual building where the Stasi (East German secret police) operated, which gives it a super authentic vibe right from the start. Walking through the offices and seeing how they worked really brings that intense period of history to life.

The exhibits are fascinating and pretty eye-opening. They cover everything from surveillance techniques to how the Stasi infiltrated daily life. I was blown away by the level of control they had over the population. You can see actual spy equipment, like hidden cameras and wiretapping devices—it’s wild to think about how sophisticated their methods were back then. They even have rooms that are preserved exactly how they were when the Stasi left, which gives a real sense of what it must have been like to work there.

What I also loved is how detailed the information is, but it’s presented in a way that’s easy to follow, even if you don’t know much about this part of history. There are English translations for everything too, which is great for non-German speakers. It’s a pretty sobering experience but super informative and thought-provoking. Moreover, the staff in the building are super friendly and helpful, definitely a big plus!!

If you’re in Berlin and want a deeper dive into its history beyond the usual tourist spots, the Stasi Museum is definitely worth the visit. You leave with a much better understanding of what life was like under such a strict regime. Highly recommend!

Christopher Freeman 2024 Sep 15

We booked well in advance for the combo ticket with guided tour in English. Well worth doing. Guide was very knowledgeable and peppered in stories from her youth. Cafe was closed on the day so maybe plan around that.

David Hill 2024 Aug 22

Fascinating place. I wanted to be able to see more of the building and understand how the rest of the entire complex is being g used now. Staff were good but a little bit disengaged. But maybe that's 'in character.' The best thing is the original furniture and artefacts. I wish more rooms were presented as at the time.

N H 2024 Aug 08

It’s over all a nice museum. The employee at the desk was nice but looked very bored and mumbled every spoken word. The different rooms with lots of text and very warm, damp weather made it a bit too much and exhausting. I think they could have done that
In a different way. I do very much like the preserved building and rooms. Thats was most interesting to get the feeling with all of the history. I am happy to have visited but wouldn’t mind if i had missed out on this specific museum of the stasi… especially with this kind of pricing as well

Ann-Karin Både 2024 Aug 03

Was great to see the preserved interior and furniture, however the exhibitions had so much information and details so that it was quite overwhelming, near impossible, to take it all in. Be prepared for much reading! Very interesting though and so important to have a record on this part of history. The building is huge and it is really something else to walk into spaces like walking back in time.
You have to pay 1 EUR to be allowed to take pictures. I found this a little odd, as surely pictures can attract more people to the museum when shared in SoMe, reviews and blogs.

Bull Dogg 2024 Jun 08

This is a fascinating yet somewhat disturbing experience in what humans can do to each other. It’s particularly fascinating that Germans did this to each other right after WWII. The stories in this museum are nothing short of amazing and walking inside the former Stasi headquarters while learning about this makes it an eerie experience.

Mary Alice Miller 2024 May 20

Go at your own pace, lots of Interactive options to listen, read wall mounts/graphics or flip through different media about individuals affected or involved.

Furniture and decor is authentic to the period and austerity of the office/living accommodation at the time.

We enjoyed the self guided and handheld tour. Very warm inside. More windows open would help.

Cafe (cash only) and bathrooms available.

Kamilos 2023 Nov 29

Piece of dark history that is a must see! I can highly recommend guided tour that adds completely another level to the whole experience and opens your eyes even wider. Thank you, Christine- it was great and worth every Pfennig!

Tilman Benecke 2023 Nov 29

An epicenter of German smugness and hypocrisy - small-minded and accurate. What looks here today partly like an exhibition from a children's gadget museum from the 80s and 90s was once state of the art espionage equipment. Secret cameras in the belt, in the lipstick and in the birdhouse. You name it. But the methods of this institution were less outdated. You can also learn long-forgotten or never-heard German words here, such as: social danger, class hatred, odor differentiation, canned smells or even the anti-imperialist protective wall. very interesting museum not only for history buffs.

Ilpo L 2023 Oct 17

The Stasimuseum is not just another tourist attraction (like the DDR Museum eg.) but it is a historical site and a good place to learn and to gain knowledge on the darker side of human nature. Well preserved and well presented, also in English. Versatile aspects of East Germany’s state control are covered in interesting ways. I spent there more than 5 hours and did not catch everything. There are two modest cafes, but they do not offer meals. The ticket costs 10 euros.

Yess Min 2023 Sep 02

Highly recommend! we did it with audio guide. the audio guide is so concise and helpful. very clear description of the events unfolded and the items displayed. i would say it will probably take 3-4 hours for the whole thing.

we really enjoyed it.

Jon Chen 2023 Aug 24

This museum details the operations of the former East German secret police (Stasi), and is located in their former headquarters. You can visit all the rooms on your own, or take an audio guide or join one of the guided tours available.

I would not recommend visiting this museum on a very hot day, as the rooms don’t have air-conditioning and can get quite uncomfortable on a hot day.

Bogdan Marcelan 2023 Aug 10

My wife and I visited the Stasi Museum during our few-day visit to Berlin. The museum is at the headquarters of the Secret Service. The building has remained exactly as it was before 1990. The visitor can see the furniture and other equipment from that time. He can also see various covert tracking devices and files on agents and suspects. Excellent.

Kris M 2023 Aug 09

I have visited this museum several times in recent years. I think this is one of the better museums in Berlin. I recommend you to attend a guided tour, or/and to buy access to an audio guide. The café on the third floor makes the experience authentic. Highly recommended!