Berlin's cultural offerings are as colourful and diverse as the city itself. And this also applies to the price range: we have collected 11 + 1 exciting art and cultural offers for you here for free . Free, diverse and sophisticated, these special Berlin cultural institutions offer high-calibre exhibitions for everyone.
Tip 1: Discover street art, graffiti and urban art at the URBAN NATION Museum
On a walk through Berlin, colourful graffiti can be seen on almost every corner. Street art is an integral part of the cityscape and is now part of our cultural heritage. The Urban Nation Museum for Urban Contemporary Art in Schöneberg has set itself the task of making this heritage tangible for a wide audience in a curated setting - while respecting the principle of street art. It is the form of expression of the street and should therefore be equally accessible to everyone. With free admission, you can get to know the history of this global art scene on canvases, in room installations, on walk-through graffiti tours and at interactive media guide stations.
Tip: In our free ABOUT Berlin app, you will find curated tours to many street art highlights in Berlin.
There is a lot to tell. ABOUT BERLIN.
When: Tuesday and Wednesday from 10am to 6pm, Thursday to Sunday from 12pm to 8pm
Where: Bülowstraße 7, Schöneberg
Tip 2: Visit great art at Galerie König
Another hotspot for free art enjoyment is the high-end König Gallery in the brutalist church of St Agnes. The building itself is worth a visit with its massive concrete walls, clean lines and mighty floor plan. But behind the hard shell lies the creative core of this special place. Since 2015, the light-flooded interior of the church has been a worthy home for painting, sculpture, video and performance art by young artists from all over the world. With free admission, you can explore the numerous forms of expression of modern art in regularly changing themed exhibitions.
When: Tuesday to Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm
Where: König Galerie St. Agnes, Alexandrinenstraße 118-121, Kreuzberg
Tip 3: Experience the permanent exhibition of the Jewish Museum Kinderwelt Anoha
The Jewish Museum is a real cultural treasure trove - and, apart from temporary special exhibitions, is free of charge for visitors. The striking Liebeskind building with its sloping walls, stele axes and deliberately staged empty spaces takes you on an intensive journey through (German) Jewish history over 3,500 square metres. The architecture itself makes a decisive contribution to the impact of this place: the axes of exile, the axis of the Holocaust and the axis of continuity intersect in the basement, symbolising the stages of Jewish life in Germany.
Tip: In addition to the impressive permanent exhibitions, the museum also offers one of the most creative playgrounds in the city with the free children's world Anoha!
When: Daily from 10 am to 6 pm
Where: Lindenstraße 9 to 14, Kreuzberg
Tip 4: Immerse yourself in contemporary art at Bethanien
The Kreuzberg art space Bethanien in the listed former deaconess hospital on Mariannenplatz is a lively centre for the young Berlin art scene. On around 450 square metres of exhibition space, you can experience several curated group exhibitions every day with free admission, which deal with the hot topics of the present, such as resistance to authoritarian systems. In the spirit of the first squatters around Rio Reiser, who immortalised Bethanien in the Rauchhaussong with his band Ton, Steine, Scherben. the light-flooded rooms with their clear structure provide the perfect backdrop for the varied programme of art, dialogue and mediation. And in summer, one of the most beautiful backdrops for open-air cinema with typical Berlin flair awaits you here.
When: Daily from 10 am to 8 pm
Where: Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien, Mariannenplatz 2, Kreuzberg
Tip 5: Stroll through the Neue Nationalgalerie on Thursday evenings
The Neue Nationalgalerie at the Kulturforum is a real crowd-puller and attracts visitors from all over the world. In addition to high-calibre art exhibitions, it often hosts fashion shows by star designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, music festivals and shows by world-class artists such as Nan Goldin and Yoko Ono.
To ensure that the minimalist steel skeleton construction by Mies van der Rohe is accessible to everyone, admission is free on Thursdays from 4 p.m. as part of the Volkswagen Group Art4All initiative. You can marvel at the changing special exhibitions in the light-flooded upper hall and stroll through the permanent exhibition in the basement.
When: Thursday from 4 to 8 pm
Where: Potsdamer Straße 50, Mitte
Tip 6: Enjoy art from and for the city at the Kommunale Galerien Berlin
At various locations throughout the city, the Kommunale Galerien show changing exhibitions that have a strong connection to urban life, social change and Berlin's identity. Paintings, photography, installations and video art by predominantly Berlin-based artists explore the city and all its special features.
The exhibition spaces of these community-based creative spaces are the right place for you if you are interested in contemporary art with a genuinely Berlin character that is outside the mainstream. After all, the main aim of the Municipal Galleries is the active participation and open communication of all social groups - after all, Berlin concerns us all!
When: Different opening hours depending on location
Where: Various locations throughout Berlin
Tip 7: Take a look at the many facets of the GDR at the Museum in der Kulturbrauerei
Heavy metal in the GDR, everyday life in the GDR and a comprehensive journey through history - you can explore all of this at the Museum in der Kulturbrauerei. Here, too, you don't have to pay an admission fee, although the 600 square metre exhibition area offers plenty of valuable insights into German-German history.
The permanent exhibition on everyday life in the GDR shows original everyday objects, photographs, videos and audio recordings. They allow visitors with an interest in history to experience the tension between political control and personal everyday life. These testimonies will be remembered!
When: Tuesday to Friday from 9 am to 6 pm, Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm
Where: Knaakstraße 97, Prenzlauer Berg
Tip 8: PalaisPopulaire - experience contemporary art for free
In the historic Prinzessinnenpalais on the boulevard Unter den Linden, the PalaisPopulaire offers an exciting, free art and culture programme for anyone who wants to experience contemporary creativity up close. Admission is free on Mondays - a perfect opportunity to discover the top-class exhibitions from the Deutsche Bank Collection or the "Artist of the Year" programme.
The museum also offers a varied programme of events: from dialogue concerts with members of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, readings and curator tours to workshops for all age groups. The PalaisPopulaire combines baroque architecture with modern design and stands for an open approach to art that excites and inspires - right in the heart of Berlin.
When: daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday closed
Where: Unter den Linden 5, Mitte
Tip 9: Visit the Christo permanent exhibition in the Reichstag building
in 1995, the artist duo Christo and Jean Claude wrapped the Reichstag in a spectacular campaign. For a fortnight, the meadow in front of the Reichstag, which had been transformed into a work of art, became a meeting place for cheerful Berliners. The once historically burdened concrete block will become a place for democracy, which will be architecturally crowned with the glass dome the following autumn.
You can still witness the spectacle today in the Reichstag building - in the free permanent Christo exhibition. In the light-flooded corridors of the visitors' gallery, sketches, collages, photographs and original materials tell the story of this project, which was planned for over two decades and ultimately fascinated millions of people. Look forward to an impressive exploration of art in public space right in the heart of democracy.
Tip: In our visitBerlin podcast Berlin Unboxed, we take you on an art walk around the government buildings. Around the glass dome of the Reichstag, you will find many public and freely accessible works of art that, like the glass dome of the Reichstag, emphasise the transparency of German democracy.
When: Guided tour of the exhibition by appointment
Where: Platz der Republik 1, centre
Tip 10: Explore dynamic works of art in the Julia Stoschek Foundation
Art that passes, time that stands still - art as a dynamic expression of a constantly changing world. Based on this understanding of art, the non-profit organisation Julia Stoschek Foundation has created an exhibition space in Leipziger Straße in Berlin-Mitte that offers a stage for socially relevant art experiments with a thematic reference to time. Here, large-scale video installations, immersive sound spaces, performative works and digital experiments promise a particularly sensual art experience.
Admission is free on the first Thursday of every month from 6 pm to 10 pm.
When: Every first Thursday of the month from 6 to 10 pm
Where: Leipziger Straße 60, Mitte
Tip 11: View free art in the spirit of democracy at the Willy Brandt House
The Willy Brandt House in Kreuzberg has not only been the federal headquarters of the SPD since 1999, but also a barrier-free stage for contemporary art. In the spirit of democracy, this can be marvelled at by all citizens. Between the prominent glass façade and the impressive atrium of the Politikhaus is an impressive collection of over 2,500 works of art. On display are works by Otto Dix, George Grosz and many other artists, all of whom deal with social issues of freedom and resistance. Regularly changing exhibitions make the Willy Brandt House an exciting place of cultural dialogue to which everyone is invited!
When: Tuesday to Sunday from 12 to 6 pm
Where: Wilhelmstraße 140, Kreuzberg
Tip 12: Rethink vacancy at Zeit ist Knapp
In Berlin, not only is living space scarce, but also time. To give both terms a new meaning, a group of three young artists have dedicated themselves to the creative utilisation of empty spaces in the city. Zeit ist Knapp - or Centre for International Arts - is a pioneering concept that aims to breathe new life into temporary vacancies with free exhibitions, performances and concerts .
The collective has already given the vacant Primark store on Walther-Schreiber-Platz a creative purpose. Workshops are also organised here, including free boxing training for children, free salsa classes and family days with a roller skating disco. The ideal place to go if you not only want to experience art, but also help shape it!
When: Various event times
Where: Various locations throughout Berlin
Find more current free events here.
