The WBS 70 prefabricated apartment
(1 Sept 2022)
Those who remember the GDR often have images of cities dominated by prefabricated housing estates in their minds. In the GDR era, a new-build flat was the dream of many people, as modern living space was hard to come by. With great attention to detail and scientific research, the exhibition team spent more than 1.5 years developing the replica three-room flat of the WBS 70 type, the most commonly built prefabricated housing type, and furnishing it with countless original objects.
Visitors are presented with an almost authentic apartment, while behind flaps and doors they can take a museum-like look at everyday private life in the GDR.
A brief review: Living in the GDR
After the end of the Second World War, there was an acute shortage of housing in the GDR, which could not be remedied even during the 40 years of its existence. Under Walter Ulbricht, state housing construction programmes were launched, but they fell far short of what was needed. It was not until Erich Honecker came to power in the early 1970s that large-scale construction projects were planned and implemented, changing the appearance of entire neighbourhoods, such as Berlin-Marzahn, Halle-Neustadt and Hoyerswerda. However, the housing shortage remained a problem that the GDR was unable to solve due to the dilapidated state of the old buildings.
Stasi listening room
Not quite as well hidden as it was in reality is the room where visitors can use headphones to eavesdrop on the conversations of others in the living rooms. In front of the entrance to the reconstructed apartment, where listening devices are located in some places, information is provided about the work of the Stasi and its unofficial employees (IM). Even though residential surveillance, known as Mission B, was not carried out very often, it was essential for the exhibition team to draw attention to this perhaps most intimate form of surveillance. The aim is to convey the oppressive feeling of not being able to say everything out loud and not being sure who is listening to you.
The living room
Through a typical entrance hall of a prefabricated building, where visitors can find information about other types of housing in addition to a doorbell system, they enter a lift that simulates a trip to the 5th floor. Once there, they find themselves in the hallway of a three-room apartment furnished with original prefabricated building fixtures. The largest room in the apartment is the living room. Here, you can take a seat at the dining table or control the TV programme from East and West via a touchscreen embedded in the multifunctional table from the comfort of the sofa.
In the »Carat« wall unit opposite, further topics relating to private life and living are explained with the help of numerous objects, e.g. flat hunting, parties, board games, alcohol consumption, basic and luxury goods, literature and music.
A highlight: what used to be the hit parade in the GDR is now the museum charts in the DDR Museum. At our listening station, visitors can listen to many songs that were well-known and popular in the GDR and vote for their favourite.
Further information on the GDR living room can be found in the blog post »The living room in the DDR Museum«.
The kitchen
In the kitchen, visitors can learn about nutrition, food consumption and food storage in a shortage economy, and also pick up culinary inspiration for home cooking from a wide range of recipes on the digital recipe printer. Another special feature is the digital refrigerator. Behind a transparent touchscreen, it contains various products with statistics on eating habits in the GDR.
The important topic of women's equality was also provocatively incorporated into the kitchen. Visitors can test their own expertise on the subject with the »equality game«.
Further information on the kitchen can be found in the blog post »The Kitchen in the DDR Museum«.
The bathroom
The bathroom in the flat addresses the topics of health and hygiene. In addition to information about the health system, a screen in the washing machine and a hygiene game convey how health education was carried out in the GDR. The bathroom is also equipped with the original sanitary fittings from a WBS 70 prefabricated building in Dessau.
Further details about the bathroom in the exhibition can be found in the blog post »The bathroom in the DDR Museum«.
The bedroom
The path through the hallway of the museum-like WBS 70 flat leads to the master bedroom. A projection onto the double bed, neatly hidden under a bedspread, deals with the most intimate of topics: various statistics provide an East-West comparison of first times, frequency of sexual intercourse and infidelity in both German states. Further information and objects relating to love, marriage and the desire to have children can be found in the drawers.
Of course, no bedroom would be complete without a wardrobe. As in many areas of life in the GDR, modern clothing was often difficult to obtain. Women and men therefore became creative, sourcing fabrics and accessories and sewing at home what the shops did not offer. The patterns were provided by various fashion magazines, which can be found on a screen in the wardrobe. In addition, the various fabric samples give visitors a feel for GDR textiles such as Dederon and Wolpryla.
But that's not all! Software developed especially for the DDR Museum makes it possible to try on various GDR clothes digitally and view yourself in a digital mirror. Of course, the image can be frozen long enough to take a very special selfie.
The children's and teenage bedroom
At the end of the corridor, visitors are immersed in the world of children and young people in the GDR. There is much to discover in this colourful room with red youth furniture and sunflower wallpaper, which was chosen by the GDR Museum's Facebook community in a poll. Next to the bunk bed is the pioneer blouse with neckerchief, which must be tied correctly (according to the instructions). Children's literature, childhood companions such as the Sandman and Pittiplatsch, and toys are also a must in this room.
The youth wall unit opposite shows how young people had to make their first political decisions at an early age, alongside the famous Mosaik comics and educational games. Both the game »Der Weg ins Leben« (The Way into Life) and other content illustrate the influence of politics on young people.
In addition, individual cupboard compartments provide an insight into the lives and hobbies of adolescents. The elaborate diorama of the Bruce Springsteen concert in Berlin-Weißensee in 1988 is particularly surprising.
Everything else in the children's and youth room is described in the blog post »The children's room in the DDR Museum«.
The garage
Before leaving the DDR Museum, visitors can take a peek into an old GDR garage. This little DIY paradise was not only used to store various household items for repair, but also as a place to creatively craft useful items. Visitors to the garage will also find a Simson Schwalbe KE 51/2, which revs its engine as you walk by.
Further insights into the garage can be found in the blog post »The Garage in the DDR Museum«.
