9 of the Top World War II History Sites in Germany

You'll find a large number of Germany’s World War II heritage sites in Berlin, making the German capital a solid base if you want to visit multiple spots. A short walk from the Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor), the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Holocaust Memorial) is the right place to start your walking tour. It features 2,711 slabs of concrete in different heights arranged in a sprawling outdoor memorial space, plus an information center with exhibits on WWII and the Holocaust.

Another one of Germany’s WWII memorials is on the outskirts of Berlin (in Oranienburg) at the site of the first concentration camp in Prussia. Today, it’s the Memorial and Museum Sachsenhausen, an educational space that helps bring the horrors of the Holocaust into public understanding. Along with a museum and memorial areas, there are barracks, an execution trench, and mass graves. Be advised that visiting this site can be particularly distressing, especially for children and sensitive travelers.

Back in Berlin, the Topography of Terror is the primary history exhibit located at the former headquarters of the Gestapo, the SS high command, and the Reich Security main office. It features multiple information systems and multimedia displays that tell the story of the Third Reich and the terrors they committed across Europe. The ruins of what were once prison cells and a still-standing section of the Berlin Wall sit just beyond the main exhibition area.

Although Hitler's former subterranean air-raid shelter, the Führerbunker, was demolished in the late 1980s to build a parking lot, a large information board at the former site remains and is a stop on many of Germany’s war history tours. It was part of a larger underground complex where Nazis used to hide during the war. It’s also where Hitler married Eva Braun—and where the couple died by suicide around 40 hours later.

While many World War II museums in Germany focus on Nazi party history, the Museum Berlin-Karlshorst specializes in the German-Soviet War. Also known as the Eastern Front, this combat theater began in 1941 and ended on May 8, 1945, when the Wehrmacht surrendered at the exact spot where the museum now stands.

This surrender effectively ended WWII in Europe. The permanent exhibit here focuses entirely on German-Soviet relations during the war, showcasing a range of images and documents from the era. Past temporary exhibits have focused on related topics, such as the Hitler-Stalin Pact.

Nuremberg’s Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds is one of the best WWII history sites in Germany to visit if you’re interested in learning about how the Nazi party operated and garnered support in the 1930s. It was on the grounds of this massive site where the Nazis held huge propaganda rallies, and Documentation Center goes into deep detail about these events. Both the grounds and the museum are featured on many Nuremberg historical tours.

At the site of one of the most famous WWII concentration camps in Germany, the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site near Munich teaches visitors about WWII and the Holocaust through a range of exhibits spread across over two dozen stations. Permanent exhibits include the former camp prison, the crematorium, and the barracks, along with a memorial room that commemorates the tens of thousands of victims who were imprisoned and killed at the camp. Visit with a half-day or full-day tour from Munich.

Among the best-known of Germany’s WWII historical sites, the Eagle's Nest (Kehlsteinhaus) is a mountaintop building that was built by the Nazi Party and used for official events (although Hitler himself rarely visited). While the views from the structure are impressive, there's not much to see within the building itself.

Area tours typically spend more time at the Dokumentation Obersalzberg, a museum located farther down the mountain.

Insider tip: The Eagle's Nest gets a lot of snow in the winter and is usually only open between the middle of May and the end of October (depending on the weather).

Unlike many of Germany’s World War II landmarks, the Dresden Frauenkirche wasn’t used by the Nazis in the war. Rather, this baroque church was destroyed during the 1945 bombing of Dresden and stood in a state of ruined rubble for almost half a century.

The heap was declared a war memorial in 1966, but it wasn't until the early 1990s—not long after the reunification of Germany—that reconstruction work began. The project was finished in 2005 and the church is a major component of the Dresden skyline once again.