Former East Berlin: A Self-Guided Audio Tour

Starting at Checkpoint Charlie, you’ll make your way down Friedrichstraße and into the heart of the historic city.

As you make your way down Friedrichstraße, I’ll share the stories behind the area’s architectural treasures, like Gendarmenmarkt Square and Unter den Linden, the famous boulevard.

On this tour you'll pass by and learn about the BlackBox Cold War Museum.

You'll hear the stories behind the area’s architectural treasures, like Gendarmenmarkt Square and Unter den Linden, the famous boulevard.

On this tour, you'll pass by and learn about the Neue Kirche.

I’ll point out various monuments and memorials, including the Friedrich Schiller monument in front of the Konzerthaus Berlin concert hall.

I’ll tell you why the French community was given the rights to use the Französischer Dom (French Dome church) for all eternity.

I’ll show you where to find the spa and pool in Hotel de Rome, once a state bank.

On this tour, you'll pass by and learn about St. Hedwig's Cathedral.

On this tour, you'll walk through Bebelplatz and learn about the monuments that surround it along the way.

I’ll point out various monuments and memorials, including Micha Ullman’s Empty Library, also known as the Book Burning Memorial, which commemorates the day Nazis burned books by Jewish and communist authors.

On this tour, you'll have a chance to learn about the oldest free-standing opera house in the world, the Berlin State Opera.

I’ll point out various monuments and memorials, including a statue of Frederic II on his horse in front of the buildings which were commissioned by the king and later transformed into Berlin’s first university, the Humboldt University.

On this tour, you'll pass by and learn about Palais am Festungsgraben.

On this tour, you'll pass by and learn about Maxim Gorki Theatre.

On this tour, you'll have a chance to discover a modern pieta by Käthe Kollwitz, exposed to rain and snow and housed in the Neue Wache (New Guard House).

On this tour, you'll pass by and learn about German Historical Museum.

On this tour, you’ll also have a chance to see where Angela Merkel used to live on Museum Island when she was Chancellor.

On this tour, you’ll also have a chance to take in the works of famous architects like the German Historical Museum by I.M. Pei, the James Simon Gallery by David Chipperfield, and the Altes Museum (Old Museum) by Friedrich Schinkel.

On this tour, you’ll also have a chance to take in the works of famous architects like the German Historical Museum by I.M. Pei, the James Simon Gallery by David Chipperfield, and the Altes Museum (Old Museum) by Friedrich Schinkel.

On this tour, you’ll also have a chance to take in the works of famous architects like the German Historical Museum by I.M. Pei, the James Simon Gallery by David Chipperfield, and the Altes Museum (Old Museum) by Friedrich Schinkel.

On this tour, you’ll also have a chance to take in the works of famous architects like the German Historical Museum by I.M. Pei, the James Simon Gallery by David Chipperfield, and the Altes Museum (Old Museum) by Friedrich Schinkel.

On this tour, you’ll also have a chance to hear about the Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral).

On this tour, you’ll also have a chance to hear about the Humboldt Forum, where the Hohenzollern Palace used to be.

The tour ends in Lustgarten.

Former East Berlin’s mix of architecture paints a picture of its fascinating history across different eras. It’s here that you’ll see remnants of the 17th-century baroque town and the Communist era, find traces of the city’s days as capital of the German Empire, and witness the devastation left by the World Wars. On this walking tour, you’ll also see newer buildings created by the architects who, once again, transformed East Berlin and the way the world saw it.