Berlin’s Currywurst Museum: Strange but it’s all about the Sausage!

Over the past few weeks I’ve discovered that Berlin is home to a whole lot of museums, however, the Deutsches Currywurst Museum takes the prize for being the quirkiest! I mean, an entire museum dedicated to one type of sausage – who came up with this idea?!

For those of you who aren’t yet familiar with the Currywurst, this is a dish that first appeared in Berlin in 1949 and has since become the city’s staple fast food snack. The Currywurst consists of a sausage (wurst) that has been steamed and then fried. It is then sliced up, served with a curry-ketchup concoction, and sprinkled with more curry powder overtop.

Some people hate the dish, others love it; I’m in the latter category. Over the course of my stay in Berlin I ate a lot of Currywurst. I ordered from street stands and in restaurants, ate it in a bread roll and with a side of pommes frites, with spicy sauce and with sweet ketchup, with skin and without. You could say I became a bit of a Currywurst connoisseur, which is why I simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit this museum!

So who invented this dish?

The woman attributed for coming up with this strange dish is Herta Heuwer. It was 1949, just after the Second World War and food supplies were limited.

The tale goes that on a rainy September day, business was slower than usual and Herta had some free time on her hands. She got a little creative with the plain ol’ can of tomato paste, added about 10-12 different spices, saw that it tasted good, poured this over a fried sausage, and thus the Currywurst was born!

So what exactly do you do inside the Currywurst Museum?

The museum is divided up into different sections which cover different aspects of the sausage – from its creation to its role in pop culture, you will learn a whole lot about Berlin’s beloved snack!

Here’s a brief overview of what you can expect from the Deutsches Currywurst Museum:

• Stop at the Currywurst Ticker where you can see how many Currywursts are consumed each year. A lot!
• Wander over to the singing ketchup bottles, where you can listen to funny songs about Currywurst.
• Learn where Berlin’s most famous Currywurst stands are located so that you can track them down on your own when you’re hungry.
• Study the world map which highlights some unique destinations around the world where you can find Currywurst – Bali, Tokyo, and even Vancouver are on the list!

• Take a seat on a sofa shaped like a…sausage.
• Head over to the spice cabinet where you can sniff (and guess) which spices are used in Currywurst.
• Have a look inside a Currywurst stand where you can see how street vendors prepare this popular snack.
• Pick up a giant French Fry and battle it out with your partner to see who’s the last one standing.

• Take a seat in the cinema and watch a documentary titled “The Best of the Wurst” by Grace Lee. It’s about a journey to Berlin in search of Currywurst.
• Walk over to the TV Wall where you can watch movie and TV excerpts about Currywurst.
• Share your own Currywurst anecdote in the Visitor’s Book.
• Eat some Currywurst! The best part is that at the end of the visit you get to sample the famed sausage. A museum that feeds you? I’m in!

If you find yourself in Berlin with some free time on your hands – and if you haven’t yet tried a Currywurst! – then this is a fun place to swing by.

Getting there:

The Deutsches Currywurst Museum is located at Schützenstrasse 70, just 100 metres from Checkpoint Charlie. Take the U-bahn to either Stadtmitte or Kockstrasse, and walk towards Schützenstrasse from there.

Admission is 11€ and includes a Currywurst in a cup at the end of your visit, or you can pay 13,90 € and sample 3 different varieties of Currywurst. Keep in mind that you can save 20% if you visit on a Monday.

The museum is opened daily (unless otherwise noted) between 10 am – 8 pm.

Enjoy!

Have you ever been to the Currywurst Museum?

What’s the strangest museum you have ever visited in Berlin?

🌭 Beyond the Museum: Your Ultimate Currywurst Field Guide

Because the exhibit is only the first bite

Leaving the Currywurst Museum with the lingering scent of spiced ketchup still tickling your nose invariably sparks one very Berlin-sized craving: where can I eat the real thing, how do I order it like a local, and why does every venodr swear theirs is the only “true” recipe?

A Quick Refresher: What Makes a Currywurst, Well… a Currywurst?

The museum does a brilliant job of charting Herta Heuwer’s accidental 1949 invention. But let’s recap so we’re all working from the same page:

• The sausage. Traditionally a lightly smoked, steamed pork bratwurst without casing (ohne Pelle). In eastern districts you’ll often get a skin-on (mit Darm) version—crispier snap, heartier chew.
• The sauce. A tomato-ketchup base simmered with curry powder, sugar, and secret spices. Some stands add chili, others a whisper of Worcestershire, and purists debate whether the powder should be stirred in or dusted on top.
• The cut. Diagonal slices to maximise sauce coverage. Yes, this matters.
• The sidekick. A soft white roll (Brötchen) for mopping, or a mound of Pommes rot-weiß (fries with ketchup and mayo). Ask for ohne alles if you’re low-carb—but be prepared for a raised eyebrow.

The Holy Grail Circuit: Five Must-Try Stands & Why They Matter

Berliners treat currywurst allegiance the way football fans love their club. Thus, expect spirited debate. These five addresses form an edible history lesson—try them all and decide where your loyalty lies.

Make a day of it: start north at Konnopke’s, hop the U2 south-west hitting Witty’s, Krasselt’s, then loop east via the U7 for Curry 36 and finish at Zur Bratpfanne—not bad for a €8.80 AB day ticket!

Decode the Lingo: Four Phrases to Sound Less Tourist, More Berliner

1. “Einmal Currywurst schranke, bitte.”
   “Barrier” ordering gets you ketchup and mayo striping your fries like a railway crossing.
2. “Bisschen mehr Pulver, danke.”
   Politely ask for an extra shake of curry powder—most vendors are happy to oblige.
3. “Zum hier.” / “Zum mitnehmen.”
   Eat at the stand (zum hier) or take away. Containers cost €0.30 more since the 2023 packaging levy.
4. “Stempelkarte?”
   Some neighbourhood kiosks run stamp cards—collect ten, score a free wurst. Worth asking if you’re staying awhile!

Pairing Guide: What to Drink With Your Wurst

• Berliner Kindl Pils – crisp, cuts through the sweetness.
• Club-Mate – lightly caffeinated yerba-mate soda; hipster classic.
• Schultheiss Radler – half beer, half lemon soda: refreshing on sweltering days.
• Non-alcoholic malt (Malzbier) – caramel notes echo the sauce’s spice.

Most kiosks sell 0.33 L bottles for €2-3; return your empties for a €0.08 deposit refund.

DIY Currywurst: Hostel-Kitchen Hacks

Craving a midnight snack after museum closing time? All you need is a frying pan and these supermarket finds:

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 2 pre-cooked Bratwürste (Rügenwalder or Meica brand, ~€2.50)
• 200 ml tomato passata
• 2 tbsp Heinz ketchup
• 1 tsp mild curry powder + pinch smoked paprika
• 1 tsp sugar, ½ tsp white vinegar
• Optional: dash chili flakes

Method

1. Brown sausages in a splash of oil, medium heat, 4 min each side. Slice.
2. In the same pan stir passata, ketchup, spices, sugar, vinegar. Simmer 3 min.
3. Return sliced wurst, toss to coat. Dust extra curry powder on top and serve with a sliced roll.

Cost per plate: about €1.80—cheaper than hostel vending-machine crisps, infinitely more satisfying.

Beyond Currywurst: A Mini Berlinale of Sausage Spin-Offs

• Rostbratwurst Thüringer Art – thinner, marjoram-heavy; seek it at Mauerpark flea market grills.
• Bockwurst – oft mistaken for hot-dogs; traditionally veal/pork blend seasoned with white pepper and paprika.
• Knackwurst – garlic forward, stubby; perfect at Christmas markets dunked in mustard.
• Vegan seitan Currywurst – trending at Imbiss like Bergmann Curry in Neukölln; dense texture, legit char.

Treat each variation as a new chapter in your edible German dictionary.

Planning Your Own Currywurst Crawl: Logistics & Budget

Three-hour window enough? Yes, if you focus on one district (eg. Kreuzberg). Hardcore fans allocate a full day and sprinkle in breaks at Tempelhofer Feld or a canal-side beer garden to digest between sausages.

Final Bite: Why Currywurst Endures

Ask a Berliner and they’ll wax lyrical about cheap post-war protein, football-match camaraderie, or the primal satisfaction of spearing sauce-drenched chunks with a tiny wooden fork. Truth is, currywurst’s magic lies in its egalitarian spirit: bankers, punks, tourists, and grandmas all queue together, elbow-to-elbow on sticky metal counters. Steaming paper trays a great equaliser.

Got a favourite stand we missed? A DIY recipe tweak that would make Herta Heuwer proud? Drop it in the comments and keep the conversation—and the sauce—flowing. Guten Appetit!