Germany Spy Museum

The German Spy Museum (Deutsches Spionagemuseum) stands on Leipziger Platz, on ground that was once part of the Berlin Wall's border strip, in a city often called the capital of Cold War espionage. Opened in 2015, it traces the history of spying from ancient times to the digital present, with Berlin's divided decades at its centre.

The collection mixes original artefacts with multimedia and hands-on displays. Visitors find concealed cameras, bugging devices and other tools of the trade from East and West, along with Enigma cipher machines from the Second World War. Interactive stations let visitors try codebreaking and surveillance, and a laser maze is one of the museum's best-known features. Later sections turn to modern intelligence, including cyber espionage and data security.

With its emphasis on interaction and storytelling, the museum appeals to families and older children as much as to history enthusiasts, and it draws more than 400,000 visitors a year.