Come see the sites most visitors miss.
If you’re like me, you know the real magic of exploring a city—whether it’s your hometown or a new destination—often occurs away from the usual tourist spots. It’s in those hidden corners, the out-of-the-way gems that only locals seem to know, where the most fascinating stories emerge and unexpectedly memorable experiences unfold. Step off the crowded paths, and you might just stumble upon treasures that stick with you long after you return home.
Berlin has its fair share of these hidden gems, and one of my favorites is tucked away in Pankow, a district about ten miles or so to the north-northeast of the city center. Visiting Pankow feels a bit like stepping into a different world. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s the final stop on the U-Bahn line 2, giving it a sense of detachment from the city’s hustle and bustle. Or perhaps it’s the district’s history: during the Communist era, Pankow was a hub of power, home to many East German leaders. Adding to its charm is its past as an independent, and somewhat wealthy bourgeois town—Pankow wasn’t officially part of Berlin until October 1, 1920. All these sometimes contradictory layers make it a fascinating place to explore.
Pankow, in other words, has a story closely linked to the rise of Berlin and tracks the fortunes of the greater city. The war damaged many areas of Pankow, but it left much intact. One of the buildings damaged in an air raid but beautifully restored is today a little-visited museum showcasing life here around the turn of the 20th century.
Pankow Museum at Heynstrasse
The museum, formally known as the Pankow Museum at Heynstrasse 8, offers a glimpse into the life and architecture of late 19th and early 20th century Berlin, when both Berlin and Pankow were at the height of their wealth and power. The museum occupies the first floor of an apartment once owned by successful businessman named Fritz Heyn, who earned his money in the cane chair manufacturing business.
Built in 1893, the house was commissioned by Heyn himself and was designed by architect Ernst Fröhlich. The Heyn family resided in a spacious apartment on the first floor, reflecting the prosperous middle-class lifestyle of the time. Such first-floor flats facing the street were almost always the homes of the richest people in the building, and the first floor was known as the «belle etage,» the beautiful floor. The museum now showcases what life in these flats was like.
On the weekend day that I visited (and be aware that the flat is opened on a limited schedule, being open from 1000 to 1800 on Thursdays and Saturdays ONLY, see https://www.berlin.de/museum-pankow/standorte/heynstrasse-8/), there was nobody there apart from the docent and myself. Admission is free. Being alone there with my thoughts really brought the era of Kaiser Wilhelm II to life, allowing me to feel that I was visiting a home still occupied by ordinary citizens in that long-distant epoch.
You can see period furniture, faithfully restored decorations, and personal artifacts. The labels are in German only, so use your phone’s translation app to get the English version. But in a larger sense, you can get what you came for by just soaking up the atmosphere of the place.
And this ultimately is the point of going to these sorts of local museums. These «flat museums» are like stepping into a time machine, immersing you in the sights and sounds of a bygone era. The still, quiet air, the rhythmic ticking of an old clock, and the soft creak of wooden floors transport you straight into the lost world of Old Berlin. It’s a rare and vivid glimpse into the past. The apartment is preserved as if waiting the original owners to come back home again after a busy day at work.
If you’ve ever wondered what life was like behind the facades of those grand Berlin buildings, well, this gives you an answer, and among other things makes you realize just how much has been lost in the war. So for anybody with even the slightest interest in the reality of life for the upper middle classes in days before 1945, make the Pankow Museum one of your must-see destinations in Berlin.
U-Bahn Line Two
There are several ways to get there, but I prefer taking the U-Bahn line 2, the one which runs above street level for several stops. I enjoy this route mainly for historical reasons, the elevated train being yet another symbol of the rise to power of the Berlin over a century and a quarter ago.
We tend to take public transport for granted, forgetting how dizzying an accomplishment it was in that era of progress and rapid development. The U-2 line was built around 1902, meaning it was finished only a decade after the Heyn flat itself. In that sense, the two sites go together. As you take the train from the city center, you’re passing through some of the most vibrant sections of today’s city. A century ago, this area was a working class area but not yet the most crowded or by any means the poorest. In the later part of the DDR, during the 70s and 80s, this area was known as a center of counter-culture, with many anti-regime individuals living here. Today it has largely gentrified, but remains true to its roots as well.
The stations along the way have been restored of course, but many retain much of their pre-war charm and design. If you get off the train, head down to street level and you can easily find bullet and shrapnel holes in the iron work, testifying to the fighting that happened here in the closing days of the Second World War.
Other Pankow Sites
If you visit the Heyn flat, you can easily turn your trip into a full day of exploring Pankow’s historical treasures. Just a short distance away is Schönhausen Palace, a landmark deeply tied to East German history, particularly during the DDR era (1949–1990). I’ve already written a separate article about its fascinating past, so be sure to check that out.
