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Did you know there are *thousands* of dead bodies held in Berlin museums?
From what I've read since, the focus here is just the remains from former German colonies - and i gues… I had no idea till i heard this podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7boXOhhZkyqFyUqEd9iBFk
From what I've read since, the focus here is just the remains from former German colonies - and i guess that lots of museums have mummies and stuff - but yeah, i had no idea that people were collecting like thousands and thousands of skulls.
Did you know about this?
honestly this is one of those things where berlin is kinda uniquely bad because of how centralized the collection efforts were. the prussian cultural heritage foundation alone holds remains across like 20 different institutions and theyre still figuring out what they even have. the senatsverwaltung für kultur has a dedicated restitution unit now but its painfully slow - they returned like 5 skulls to namibia in 2023 and that was considered a big win
if you want to see something thatll stick with you, go to the dorotheenstädtischer friedhof and find the row of unmarked graves near the back wall. thats where some of the anatomical schools leftovers ended up before anyone started asking questions. the whole thing is less a museum problem and more a city problem tbh
It's not just colonial remains either. The Anatomical Institute at the Charité had a collection of over 10,000 skulls from executed prisoners and people who died in hospitals without family claims, used for "research" well into the 20th century. A lot of that stuff was only properly cataloged and digitized starting around 2019, when they began publishing the provenance online. The whole thing is a rabbit hole if you visit the Charité's own website on the history of their collections.
ngl the scale of it is wild. the museum für naturkunde has like 30,000 human remains in storage, mostly skulls from tanzania and rwanda. there's a group called berlin postkolonial that's been tracking this for years and they have maps of where stuff is held. the whole thing gets extra messy because some collections were split between east and west berlin during the cold war so records are incomplete
Berlin on a Budget: Tips 2026
Stay in hostels like Generator Berlin Mitte (starting at 25 EUR per night) or book a room via Airbnb in less central districts like Neukölln or Wedding for lower rates.… 🏨 Affordable Accommodation
Stay in hostels like Generator Berlin Mitte (starting at 25 EUR per night) or book a room via Airbnb in less central districts like Neukölln or Wedding for lower rates. Consider visiting in the shoulder seasons (April-May or September-October) when prices drop by up to 30%.
🚇 Cheap Transport Options
A single public transport ticket costs 3.50 EUR for zones AB, covering most attractions. For longer stays, buy a 7-day ticket for 41 EUR or a Berlin WelcomeCard for unlimited travel and museum discounts. Locals often bike everywhere using the city's extensive bike lanes or rent a bike via Nextbike for 1 EUR per 30 minutes.
🍽️ Eating on a Budget
Grab a currywurst from a street stall for around 3.50 EUR or a döner kebab for 5-6 EUR. For groceries, head to Aldi or Lidl where a loaf of bread costs 1.50 EUR. Many bakeries sell pre-made sandwiches for under 4 EUR, perfect for a picnic in Tiergarten.
🎫 Free Attractions
Visit the Reichstag dome for free (book online in advance) and explore the East Side Gallery, a 1.3 km open-air gallery on the Berlin Wall. On Sundays, many museums offer reduced entry or free admission, such as the Museum für Naturkunde (first Sunday of the month free).
💰 Money-Saving Tips
Locals avoid tourist traps by eating at Späti (corner shops) for cheap drinks and snacks. Use the Berlin Pass for free entry to over 50 attractions if you plan to visit many sites, but calculate costs first as it starts at 59 EUR for 48 hours. Always carry cash, as some smaller shops and cafes don't accept cards.
🏛️ Discount Museum Days
Most state museums are free on the first Sunday of each month, including the Pergamon Museum and Neues Museum. On Thursday evenings, the Jewish Museum offers free entry from 6 PM to 8 PM. Check individual museum websites for updated schedules.
🌳 Free Outdoor Activities
Spend a day at Tempelhofer Feld, a former airport turned public park with free bike rentals and BBQ areas. Rent a paddleboat on the Spree River for 10 EUR per hour or join a free walking tour (tip-based) that covers major landmarks like Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie.
yeah the guide's got the main stuff down, one thing i'd add is that the späti culture is legit for saving money but specifically the ones in kreuzberg near kottbusser tor have the cheapest beers, like 0.80 eur for a can of sterni. also if you're doing the sunday museum thing, skip the pergamon queue and go to the hamburger bahnhof instead, it's way less crowded and has cool contemporary art plus the building itself is a converted train station so it's a vibe
for food, i'd say the best budget move is not the döner but the falafel at yafa on sonnenallee, 4 eur for a massive plate and it's open till late. and tbh the reichstag booking is a pain but if you miss it, the rooftop at the kollhoff tower near potsdamer platz is like 4 eur and gives you a solid view without the hassle
solid write-up, one thing i'd add is that the 7-day ticket is actually 41 eur for AB but you can get a 4-trip ticket for 12 eur if you're only here a couple days and it works out cheaper than single trips. also the museum sunday freebie is great but it gets packed, like at the pergamon you'll be queuing for 30 mins minimum. for a quieter free option, try the brücke museum in grunewald on a weekday afternoon, it's small but has killer expressionist art and no crowds. oh and for a cheap meal, hit up mustafa's gemüse kebab at mehringdamm, that line is long but it's worth the 5 eur for the hype tbh
honestly the cash tip is huge, a lot of tourists don't realize how many places are still cash only here. something the guide missed is that you can get a really cheap coffee at most bakeries for like 1.50 eur if you stand at the counter instead of sitting down, way cheaper than the hipster cafes. also if you're near a späti grab a beer for like 1 eur, way cheaper than bars obviously