The most photogenic and non-traditional museums in Berlin

Berlin is the only European city that has more museums than rainy days. There are an average of 99 rainy days and no fewer than 175 museums. Moreover, the mix of museums is very diverse and you can visit a whole series of less traditional museums in addition to the classics. I don't mind the april showers anymore! ;)

Futurium (Alexanderufer 2)

The Futurium – Berlin’s centre for shaping the future – is one of the many new architectural gems in the ‘Regierungsviertel’ (the Government District) on the banks of the River Spree.

The Futurium wants to be a platform that facilitates future-oriented, scientific, technical, and social developments. It does this with a fascinating (interactive) exhibition space, an experimental lab, and various events. Don’t forget to visit Pepper, Futurium’s robot, who will provide you with a wristband that activates all kinds of installations in the museum.

A visit to the Futurium is free and a great opportunity to take a series of very Insta worthy shots. Don’t forget to check out the basement (where you can do cool experiments) and the rooftop (from which you have a stunning view over the Spree).

Hamburger Bahnhof (Invalidenstrasse 50-51)

The Hamburger Bahnhof is a former railway station that has been turned into a contemporary art museum.

The museum has an extensive collection, which you can see in various exhibitions. In the past decades, the former warehouses were transformed into museum space and connected with the main building. The museum has more than 13,000 sqm of exhibition space as a result.

The Hamburger Bahnhof has one of the largest and most important public collections of contemporary art in the world. You can see work here by Joseph Beuys, Andy Warhol, Sol Lewitt, Marcel Duchamp, and many other art icons.

Tchoban Foundation (Christinenstrasse 18A)

The Tchoban Foundation is situated at the entrance to the ‘Pfefferberg’ site, a former brewery which has since become a listed complex, where you can enjoy a wide array of current culture. The workshops of artists such as Ai Wei Wei and Olafur Eliasson are located here, as well as galleries, an architect’s forum and the Pfefferberg theatre and restaurant.

The Tchoban Foundation is home to the Museum for Architectural Drawing. The building, which was designed by the architect Sergei Tchoban, stands out in the row of typical, old Berlin houses. The concrete and glass façades feature detailed reliefs of magnified fragments of architectural drawings (giving you a hint of what you can see inside the building). The bold contrasts only add to the building’s unique and photogenic appeal.

Once inside the museum, you will recognise the motifs on the façade in various locations throughout the museum. Every element in this building, including the door handles, has a well-thought-out design.

Computer Spiele Museum (Karl-Marx-Allee 93A)

The Computerspiele Museum first opened in 1997, making it the first museum of its kind in the world. Not a traditional museum, but an interactive exhibit that gives an overview of the history of games and gaming. You’ll find plenty of childhood classics here but can also test the latest VR developments. The museum’s mission is to showcase the evolution of digital games.

The collection comprises more than 300 consoles, 10,000 hardware components, 30,000 computer games and countless vintage game relics. A number of items are exhibited in glass displays, but a large part of the museum consists of traditional lounge corners, where you can test original retro games (or play them again). The recreations of the lounges and arcades are like a journey back in time.

Kindl (Am Sudhaus 3)

The Kindl Center for Contemporary Art is a unique exhibition space in the buildings of the former Kindl Brewery.

The industrial building, which dates from the 1920s, has been preserved almost intact. A glass stairwell, which was subsequently added, connects the three floors of the former ‘Machinenhaus’ with each other. You can visit retrospectives and exhibitions in these three machine rooms.

In addition to the Machinenhaus, the ‘Kesselhaus’ has also been converted into an exhibition space. Artists are invited to develop site-specific works for this imposing space, resulting in extraordinary exhibitions.

The café in Sudhaus is also a gem. Find Café Babette among the six gigantic coppers (the largest in Europe at one time). During the summer, you can also head to the Babette Biergarten, which is located next to the Kindl building.

More Berlin tips?

These and more images and tips can be found on my Instagram account (@bonnesilvie) and in my book "Berlin Guide for Instagrammers". The book is a playful guide to Berlin for those looking to find the – sometimes unconventional – beauty in the city. The book takes the reader to one hundred interesting, impressive and extra photogenic spots in Berlin. Some of the sites are Berlin classics, but most of them are hidden gems, known only among locals. Each spot comes with some background information, fun facts, hashtags, an Insta tip and practical information on how to get there

Are you living in Berlin or visiting Berlin? You can book me for a unique "Berlin Photo Shoot Walk": a walk along a photogenic route, in combination with a spontaneous photo shoot, which results in a series of professional images and ever lasting memories in your mailbox. Feel free to contact mee for more information: hello@silviebonne.be.

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