Museum of Letters

The Buchstabenmuseum in Berlin collects and preserves three-dimensional typographic objects from the public space. It stands in a former railway arch near Bellevue station in the Hansaviertel district. The museum moved there in 2016 after earlier stints in other parts of the city. The project is run by a non-profit association founded in 2005 with about 140 members by mid-2024. It documents disappearing elements of 20th-century urban design, such as handmade neon signs. The collection includes around 3,000 letters or entire signs, some weighing 100 kg and dating back to 1947. Visitors can still see examples like the Hertie department store logo, salvaged from the Spree after an attempted disposal. Inside, large letters line the walls and ceiling of the arched space. The oldest pieces glow with original neon tubes, while others tell stories of Berlin’s changing cityscape. A neon sign for a fish shop from 1957 and a singed cinema E from a Tarantino film set are among the exhibits. The museum also runs a neon workshop inherited from a Frankfurt advertising firm.