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Tourism and West Berlin as Destination

Pfannkuchen-Dose, 1970er Jahre.

Every year, millions of travelers are drawn to Berlin. Tourism—with all its contradictions—has become an integral part of the city. The exhibition traces how the tourism industry reinvented itself after World War II with the advent of mass tourism and turned West Berlin into a destination. As early as 1947, the city was once again promoting itself with the slogan “Berlin Lives—Berlin Calls!” and shortly thereafter, the Berlin Tourist Office was founded. From reconstruction through the Cold War and the construction of the Wall to the open spaces that made the island city so special: politics and tourism have always been closely intertwined here. Starting in the mid-1960s, campaigns such as “Weltstadt in Action” (Metropolis in Action) shifted the focus to leisure tourism. Nightlife flourished due to the lack of a curfew. The alternative scenes that shaped the cosmopolitan city during those years were scarcely mentioned in official marketing. From within these circles, a critical debate about the tourism industry began to emerge. 

As a joint exhibition organized by the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf Museum and Kunstraum Basement Berlin, it combines artistic and historical perspectives. The exhibition at Basement focuses on contemporary artworks, some of which are also on display at Villa Oppenheim. 

Supported by City Tax funds for special tourism projects in the district administered by the Senate Department for Economics, Energy, and Public Enterprises

Runtime: Fri, 26/06/2026 to Sun, 11/10/2026

Takes place here:

• Museum Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf in der Villa Oppenheim