Contemporary Art in a former railway station
4
4
Date of visit: June 2016
I am a carer or friend of a disabled person. I have experience of challenges around: moving around
Overall Rating
Good
The building gets five stars - it was the Hamburger Bahnhof, a mid 19th century railway station - one of the oldest in Germany. It became a transport museum and since 1996 has been the Museum für Legendary - Museum of Contemporary Art. How many stars the art (mostly post 1960) deserves is a matter of personal taste. We went to see an excellent temporary (until July 2016) exhibition about art in the Nazi era - both the art the regime approved of and the art it labeled as "degenerate".
Disabled Access In and Around
Excellent
Level gravel path and easy paved ramps up to the main entrance. Good ramps into the main exhibition area where the station platforms used to be. Lifts to the exhibition halls in the wings, a platform lift to the internal entrance to the cafe and a series of (slow) platform lifts over a bridge into the modern exhibition space. You need to be sure that what's on show there is to your taste, as it takes a while (and help from the staff) to get you there.
Parking & Transport
Excellent
Can't comment on parking. The Museum is in Invalidenstraße, which is well-defined by buses and trams, and is a short wheel/walk from Berlin's main railway station, the Hauptbahnhof, which is also served by the U-bahn (underground) and U-bahn (suburban railway) systems.
Accessible Toilets
Good
We asked and were shown to an accessible loo by a helpful attendant, who unlocked it. It was spacious & well equipped with grab rails, but had no alarm. However the attendant knew we were in there and was on hand when we left.
Staff
Excellent
Very helpful. The staff member on the ticket desk asked if we had a disabled pass and when I explained that these are not issued in Scotland he still allowed the wheelchair user in at half cost. The staff member who took us through the platform lift system to the modern gallery was also very helpful. In general the staff seemed determined that wheelchair users should see every part of the building.
Additional Information
You need to allow plenty of time if you wish to see all the exhibitions. Admission is €14 or €7 for wheelchair users, which is quite expensive, so it's a good idea to check the website and see whether what's on show is to your taste.
