The museum of communications in Berlin claims to be Europe’s oldest postal museum. The collection was established in 1872 by the postmaster of imperial Germany, Heinrich von Stephan (1831-97), who, in 1866, had been commissioned by the government of Prussia to establish a federal postal service, replacing that which had been provided over several centuries by the counts Tour et Taxis. The museum was located from 1898 in purpose-built premises in Leipziger Strasse. Most of the collection was removed to Hesse by the United States army after the Second World War, but Leipziger Strasse lay in East Berlin. The museum building was restored in a makeshift fashion by the DDR government in 1958, and displays were opened to the public. A parallel museum in West Berlin, the Berliner Post- und Fernmeldemuseum, was opened in 1989. After reunification the two institutions were brought together in Leipziger Strasse in 2000.
The museum’s objectives are to enable visitors to gain acquaintance in an entertaining manner with key issues in the history of communications, and to provide a meeting place for the exchange of ideas on related subjects. Visitors are greeted in the entrance hall by three robots with the expressions ‘Komm-Rein’ (come in), ‘Also-gut’ (OK) and ‘Mach-mit’ (join in), and there are interactive exhibits throughout the galleries. Exhibits of particular importance include rare stamps from Mauritius, and one of the instruments made by Philipp Reis (1834-74), a German pioneer in the making of workable telephones.
Berlin Museum for Communication
Leipziger Strasse 16
10117 Berlin
Germany
+49 (0) 30 - 202940
Homepage
Recommended duration of visit: | 2 Hours |
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Duration of a guided tour: | 60/90 Minutes |
Admission: | Charge |
Access for persons with disabilities: | Available |
Infrastructure for children: | |
Catering: | |
Gift and book shop on site: | yes |
Tuesday 9am-8pm
Wedneday - Friday 9am-5pm
Saturday, Sunday, Bank Holiday 10am-6pm