Overview

A HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE OF HISTORY

The DDR Museum presents everyday life in the GDR in a vivid, interactive and playful way. All aspects of life in the GDR are conveyed first hand - ›FDJ‹ (Free German Youth), Stasi, Trabant, concrete slab buildings and much more.

The visitors take part in an exceptional journey through the socialist past: taking a
seat in a Trabi, dancing the Lipsi or rummaging through cupboards in an authentic
GDR living room - touching the exhibits is strongly encouraged!

Permanent exhibition: Nominated for the European Museum of the Year Award 2008
Size: 1.000 m²
Manager and curator: Robert Rückel
Head of research: Dr. Stefan Wolle
Architecture: Frank Wittmer

THE DDR MUSEUM IS THE ONLY OF ITS KIND:

Uniquely interactive: The visitor doesn't just look into the display cabinets but has
to actively take part in the exhibition in order to really grasp it. Exhibits can be touched,
objects used, flaps and drawers opened ... The experience is more merorable because
it is interactive and the exhibition comes alive. The visitor is taken on a journey through the socialist past and dives deep into life in the GDR. The visitor's knowledge is expanded,
clichés are reviewed and history is experienced close up - history which can
be touched.
Uniquely financed: The DDR Museum doesn't receive tax money or any kind of sponsorship; it finances itself solely through its visitors. This deliberate decision worked out well - the museum fends for itself.
Uniquely focused: As the only museum of its kind, the DDR Museum shows life in the GDR and, by doing so, life under a dictatorship. The 16 million inhabitants of the GDR did not only live between prison and Spreewald gherkins, but also made their own lives and adjusted to the situation. They actually lived.

Aims of the museum:

• To raise curiosity for history
• To combine education and entertainment
• To be thought provoking
• To promote understanding between people