Deutsch-Russisches Museum

It’s not exactly the most touristic spot of Berlin, S-Bahnhof Karlshorst. And if you walk through the Treskowallee and go right into the Rheinsteinstrasse, you suspect even less that in this normal area a historic place is hidden at the end of the road. The place where the Wehrmacht surrendered unconditionally to the Russians on May 8th 1945.

The Haus der Offiziere (Officer's Mess) is a relatively small building, with huge amounts of information, mainly in German. The main room where the negotiations took place is impressive. An almost untouched witness of the past, a beautiful ballroom frozen by history.

The Deutsch-Russisches Museum shines a light on a forgotten part of the war, the unimaginable suffering and sacrifice on the Russian side and the centuries-old relations between the two people. For everyone with enough time and a genuine interest in history, this gem of a museum will be a pleasant surprise.

By the way: since the Russia-induced war in Ukraine it is officially called Museum Karlshorst. Next door are several impressive huge buildings, the former military barracks. In the cold war these were known as the 'forbidden city' or the 'Berlin Kremlin', as that area was only accessible to Russians. The biggest building is now converted into an apartment building.