Berlin barrier-free: Museums + art

Berlin’s cultural attractions are as varied as its visitors. Numerous museums and exhibitions are perfectly well-suited for wheelchair users. They also provide a programme selection for people with visual and hearing impairments.

Berlin’s barrier-free museums

More and more Berlin museums offer barrier-free tours, objects that can be touched or exhibits in Braille. In most cases they also provide wheelchairs which can be hired and walking aids. Museum staff are aware of the needs of its visitors and can help with any questions.

The following museums were marked according to the system “Travel for all” and provide reliable information for all visitors.

Visit Berlin’s barrier-free museums

The German Historical Museum is designed in a way which is suitable for wheelchairs, retelling the story of Germany on Unter den Linden. By using the stair lift, you can easily reach the world’s largest dinosaur skeleton and the imposing original skeleton of a T-Rex in the exhibition hall of the Natural History Museum. The Jewish Museum offers guided tours in sign language for deaf people. And also the Musical Instruments Museum with its extensive collection of instruments spanning over 500 years of music history, is adapted to the needs of wheelchair users.

• Further information can be found at the Museumsdienst Berlin: + (49) (0)30- 247 49 – 888

Accessible memorials in Berlin

As the central Holocaust memorial, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe commemorates the many Jewish victims of National Socialism. The underground information centre can also be accessed by wheelchair users without any problems. The Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Straße and the Topography of Terror also provide disabled access.

Art in the capital, without any barriers

The Bauhaus-Archiv organises accessible tours for the blind and people with seriously impaired sight several times a year. The me Collectors Room, a private collection from the Olbricht family, can also be accessed by wheelchair users and the physically disabled. In the Berlinische Galerie, a tactile floor guidance system, tactile models and an inclusive audio guide provide blind and visually impaired people with multisensory access to the permanent exhibition. In addition, guided tours and workshops for people with disabilities are held on the permanent and special exhibitions.

Special accessible exhibitions

The Kleisthaus is the official residence of the German government’s commissioner for the disabled. Over the past few years, it has also been developed into an accessible event venue for performances, readings or exhibitions for artists with and without disabilities.

The Model Park Berlin Brandenburg offers a comprehensive overview of Berlin’s attractions in miniature size. The whole site has a barrier-free design and has toilets which are suitable for wheelchairs, and all names of the exhibited objects are in Braille.

Other barrier-free museums and theatres in Berlin

• Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (suitable for wheelchairs)
• Berliner Ensemble (wheelchair spaces)
• Deutsche Oper (wheelchair spaces)
• Staatsoper Berlin (wheelchair spaces)
• Komische Oper Berlin (wheelchair spaces)
• Friedrichstadt-Palast (suitable for wheelchairs)
• Wintergarten Varieté(suitable for wheelchairs)

For further information about barrier-free museums and art exhibitions, please contact our service centre.