Spy Museum Berlin
The Spy Museum Berlin is a private Museum in Berlin which was opened to the public on 19 September, 2015. It is located at Leipziger Platz, directly at Berlin Potsdamer Platz station. The Museum shows in an interactive and multimedia exhibition the history of espionage and secret services worldwide. Special emphasis is dedicated to espionage activities in Berlin during the Cold War.
Permanent exhibition
In an exhibition space of 3.000 m² (32.000 sq ft) the museum exposes more than 300 exhibits from the own inventory consisting of more than 1.000 collection items as well as loans. The exhibition features e.g. an original enigma, rare CIA cameras and props from James Bond movies. The collection consists mostly of originals and it is supplemented by replicas. The presentation of the exhibits is supported by installations. Most of the exhibits can be experienced by touchscreens in 360° and for many showcases transparent LCDs provided with information are used.
Main topics of the exhibition are the following:
- The History of Espionage from the Ancient times until the Present Age
- World War I
- World War II
- Cryptology, Morse, Radio
- Cold War (Secret services in East and West Germany)
- Spy Gear
- Spy Training
- Dead Drops and Containers
- Listening Devices
- Reproduction Devices
- Camera Hiding Places
- Spy Cameras
- Animals Used as Spies
- Conspiracy Theories and Espionage (RAF-Stasi Connection / The Case Uwe Barschel)
- Glienicke Bridge (Spy exchanges)
- Secret Services and Sexual Seduction („Honey traps“)
- Secret Services and Poison
- 007 & Co – Espionage in Movies
- Double Agents
- Secret Service Operations
- Portraits of Secret Services
- Espionage in Present and Future
Furthermore there are the following installations:
- "Spywatch" (simulated observation in the entrance hall)
- Spy Portraits
- Interviews with Contemporary Witnesses
- Cipher Machine (Interactive message encoding station)
- Password Hacker
- Observation Trabant (Car with infrared camera)
- Observation Room
- Spy Map (digital map for localization of intelligence activities in Berlin during the Cold War)
- Laser Obstacle Course
- Library (books stored in a glass cabinet can be read over a tablet computer)
- „Europe vs. Facebook“ (about the campaign of Max Schrems against Facebook
- Hacker Station (simulation of website hacks)
- „Teufelsberg“ (digital mirror installation with the thematization of big data)
In the exit area there are a shop, a café and a cinema.