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Deutsches Currywurst Museum

The story of the cult snack exported around the world

Berlin invented the currywurst - a type of pork sausage with curry sauce. Find out all about the iconic snack at the Deutsches Currywurst Museum.

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The German Currywurst Museum is now permanently closed!

 

Wherever you are in the world, from Los Angeles to Tokyo, you'll find currywurst sausage being served with German beer. But the popular snack comes from Berlin. Every year, Germans consume 800 million portions of currywurst. The German Currywurst Museum explains the history of this food, which consists of chopped or roasted German sausage served with curried ketchup. This unique exhibition tells you all about Germany's fast food culture. Inside, you can explore the interior of a snack bar. Follow the ketchup path to begin your tour.

From the ketchup path to the sausage kitchen

Hertha Heuwer, a Berlin snack bar owner, reputedly invents the currywurst in 1949. She refines her sausages with a new sauce of tomato purée and different spices, and the Berliners love it. One of those Berliners is businessman Martin Lower who founds the Currywurst Museum at a site near Checkpoint Charlie in 1999. The museum is an experience, and the visitor follows the ketchup path around various exhibits. Look out for the red sauce which appears to be dripping from the ceiling and the giant portion of chips leaning against a column. You can also see currywurst themed furniture and hear songs about currywurst coming out of ketchup bottle speakers. You will also be able to see clips of TV programmes about currywurst. One of the tour highlights is Herta Heuwer's recreated kitchen where you can see what a German post-war kitchen looked like. Take in the sights and smells of currywurst history and experience the exotic curry mixes in the spice room. Even the entrance room to the museum has that typical snack bar smell, and you can buy various combinations of sausage and sauce, with vegetarian alternatives. Finish your visit in the shop which is stocked with unusual sausage-themed souvenirs.

Highlights of the Deutsches Currywurst Museum

  • 3D snack bar map of Berlin
  • Fast food stand with different types of sausages and sauces
  • Curry mix smelling station
  • Herta Heuwer's kitchen
  • Clips about currywurst from popular German TV shows

From stone age arrowheads to the Raisin Bomber

It's just a ten minute walk from the Currywurst Museum to the Communication Museum in the Lichthof Building where visitors are greeted by three speaking robots. Learn about the history of communication across Berlin through a virtual tour through interactive displays from tin-can telephones to the latest smartphones. The highlight of the museum is the red and blue Mauritius postage stamps, the most valuable in the world. Just south-east of the Deutsches Currywurst Museum at the Landwehr canal is the German Technical Museum housed in halls on the site of the former Anhalter railway station. Inside, you can see historic aircrafts, shops and trains. Suspended from the facade hangs a Douglas C-47 B Skytrain Raisin Bomber. You can also find out about the history of shipping from models and historic maps.

Our tips for your visit to the Currywurst Museum

The subway is the best way of getting to the museum, take the U2 or U6 lines to Stadmitte station from where the museum is a few minutes walk. If you are a Berlin WelcomeCard holder, you will get 25% discount on the entrance price. As you enter the museum, you'll get a small sample of currywurst in a cup.

School Group Information

School groups of ten or more qualify for a discounted rate. Guided tours have to be booked two weeks in advance. School parties can also use self-guided worksheets which take the students around 26 interactive displays.

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Opening hours

daily 10:00 – 18:00