KiezWalkWhere can I find historical photos of Berlin streets?
Search with the address, former street names and an approximate date range. Start with institutional collections, read the image record and identify the camera’s viewpoint. A similar-looking facade is not enough to establish the location.
Turn the search into a specific question
Write down today’s street name, a house number or junction and the period you want to investigate. Begin with the street, then add earlier names, spelling variants and nearby squares. House numbering may also have changed.
Start with collections that keep records
The Stadtmuseum Berlin provides access to city-history collections and links to its online collection. The Landesarchiv Berlin is another institutional starting point. Use their place searches and research information rather than relying only on a general image-search thumbnail.
Neither starting point guarantees a digitised photograph of every street. An unsuccessful search means you have not found a suitable record there, not that no photograph exists.
Record five things
- Subject and place: What does the catalogue actually identify?
- Date: Is it a precise capture date or an estimated period?
- Photographer and collection: Who made it and where is it held?
- Identifier: Keep the image or inventory number and the direct record link.
- Use conditions: Check the individual image’s terms before republishing it.
Compare the view, not just the building
Find a junction, street alignment or distinctive roofline first. Work out which direction the camera faced. Only then compare windows, entrances and facade details. When two viewpoints remain plausible, keep both possibilities rather than presenting one as certain.
Use a public pavement for the present-day comparison. If the old camera position is now in a road or inside a building, choose a safe nearby position and acknowledge that it is not an exact match.
Know what a photograph can establish
An old image can show how a place looked at one moment. It does not automatically establish what happened there on a different day. KiezWalk’s then-and-now material offers a way to compare views; captions remain part of understanding what each image represents.
For an account of an event, use a separate textual source as well. The local history source checklist explains how to keep the photograph, the address and the claim distinct.