Berlin Museum of Medical History of the Charité

5 Meghan S - 2 years ago

This may have been our favorite museum that we visited while we were in Berlin! My boyfriend and I had Museum Passes, so we decided to check it out first thing in the morning. I work in Medicine, so I'm biased, but my boyfriend (with minimal interest in medicine) really enjoyed it too!

The displays are mostly in German, but there is some information in English too. We found that it was a really cool mix of medical history, tools and artifacts. I completely agree that some displays are not suitable for children/younger audiences, so perhaps not suitable for all audiences, given how graphic some of the displays are.

The museum is set over three floors, and there is NO photography allowed, which was too bad because I wanted to show my friends/family how excellent this museum was!

5 Gustavo Molitor Porcides - 2 years ago

This is definitely one of the hidden gems of Berlin. This place is both fascinating and terrifying. Fascinating of it huge collection of artifacts (medical and surgical equipment, and specimens), terrifying because it makes you think about how complex and fragile the human body is. You MUST have a strong stomach to endure the dozens of deformed fetuses and babies, as well as the body parts ridden with diseases. It was quite full because of the many students, and not being allowed to take pictures is definitely a downside, but I recommend this place to everyone.

5 Cristina Xufré Ballesteros - 3 years ago

A very unique place, highly recommended for a visit. It should be warned there is human specimens exposed. It starts with a very nice exposition of how the death state was decided to be determined in humans. Then, the exhibition of the healthy and pathological specimens follows, in the upper floor. Very interesting, specially when you like sciences.

Only 5 euros per person, with several discounts available. The bad point: there are only audioguides in German. Inside the museum you find English explanations in paper.

4 Mike Dvorscak - 3 years ago

Staff was very friendly, they had a nice collection of medical instruments and oddities (preserved specimens). They could improve the museum by adding English translations directly to the exhibit (they have some but they are in a printed book that you need to use to look up each item).

There is a wheelchair available to borrow.

And you are not allowed to take pictures.

5 MedicalAviator - 3 years ago

Very interesting, worth the visit especially for those with an interest in medicine, nursing and history. There are 3 levels of exhibitions so it may take some time to see everything (especially for those that like to read).

5 Andrzej Chomiczewski - 3 years ago

Astounding collection of medical tools, as well as well written and in depth description of history side by side with extensive explanation of nearly every exhibited piece, organ or even reconstruction of historical treatment room are reasons by itself to visit this wonderful museum. And to top it off one of the kindest personal to guide you through, and care about your belongings while you are enjoying this pice of art. I strongly recommend visiting this place to anyone who pays visit to Berlin.

3 David K - 2 years ago

This museum has the potential to be so much better. I knew reviews mentioned a lack of English but it was a lot worse than I expected. The first and third floors have English, which covers the history of one doctor, the tools and practices used and the third floor covers various illnesses of people but the second floor, where all the organs are, doesn't have any translations whatsoever. This is where we spent most of our time.

There's so many organs on display and no translation whatsoever so we had no idea what we were looking at which is a real shame considering the rest of the museum has translations.

Most people say this isn't for the faint of heart which is true as you will see many organs with various diseases but it's worth mentioning there is also deformed babies on display as this may be difficult for some people to see.

Overall I highly recommend a visit here, it's by far one of the most interesting things you will see and it's definitely unique, it's just a shame we couldn't read more of what was on display.