10 GDR sites in Berlin-Mitte – A walk around the DDR Museum

Following this introduction, we head to a place where the eventful history of central Berlin is particularly evident. Where the Humboldt Forum now stands in the reconstructed Berlin City Palace, the Palace of the Republic stood from 1976 to 2008. This imposing building was one of the most expensive and magnificent structures in the GDR and, as the »Palace of the People«, was intended to be open to everyone. As well as the People’s Chamber – the GDR’s sham parliament – the building housed several restaurants, theatres and concert halls, a bowling alley and even a nightclub. For many people, therefore, the Palace of the Republic was less a political venue than a building associated with personal memories.

Following the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989, the Palace of the Republic underwent a tumultuous history. Initially, it took on a new political significance. The first session of the 10th People’s Chamber of the GDR was held here on 5 April 1990. In contrast to its former role as a mere rubber-stamp body of the SED regime, the first and last freely elected People’s Chamber represented the democratic dawn of that year of upheaval. However, as early as September, the building had to be closed due to asbestos contamination. The members of parliament temporarily moved to the House of Parliamentarians on Werderscher Markt. The Palace of the Republic was subsequently completely gutted and then demolished in the 2000s.

From today’s Humboldt Forum, the route continues to the former centre of power in the GDR. The next stop is the State Council building. This was built between 1962 and 1964 as the first new socialist government building right in the heart of East Berlin. It was the seat of the State Council, which acted as the new collective head of state following the death of the GDR’s first and only president, Wilhelm Pieck. In reality, however, political power remained firmly in the hands of the SED and its leadership, particularly as Walter Ulbricht held not only the role of SED Party Leader but also that of Chairman of the State Council.

Architecturally, too, the building tells the story of the GDR’s self-presentation. Modern forms were combined with historical elements. Particularly striking is the so-called Portal IV, which originated from the former Berlin City Palace and was integrated into the new building following its demolition in 1950. In this way, a remnant of the Prussian past became part of a socialist landmark. In the ‘Orte Ost’ episode on the State Council Building, historian Dr Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk debunks the myth, widespread in the GDR, that Karl Liebknecht proclaimed the socialist republic from this balcony in November 1918. The State Council Building exemplifies how architecture in the GDR was not only functional but also ideologically charged.

Almost directly opposite was the nerve centre of the SED’s rule. On our tour, we have now reached the heart of power. The Haus am Werderschen Markt, which had been built between 1934 and 1940 as an extension to the Reichsbank, became the headquarters of the SED Central Committee from 1959 onwards, having previously housed the GDR Ministry of Finance. It was here, within the small circle of the Politburo – the actual centre of power – that decisions were prepared and taken which had a decisive influence on life in the GDR. Walter Ulbricht, Erich Honecker and Egon Krenz had their offices here as First Secretaries and General Secretaries of the Central Committee respectively.

The building, which was hermetically sealed off during the GDR era, thus became a symbol of the SED dictatorship. During the Peaceful Revolution in the autumn of 1989, it was one of the protesters’ main targets. On 8 November, one day before the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Politburo resigned en masse under pressure from the demonstrations. Today, the historic building – which has been extended to include a modern section – is the headquarters of the Federal Foreign Office.

The episode »The SED Central Committee – Power Centre of the GDR« in our film series »Orte Ost« explores the premises, from the top office floors right down to the former Reichsbank vaults, which now house the Federal Foreign Office’s political archive. A stroll through this site thus reveals several layers of Berlin’s political history.

However, the former centre of East Berlin was always more than just a lifeless seat of power. Just a few minutes’ walk from the former Marx-Engels-Platz – now known as Schlossplatz – lies one of the city’s most popular attractions: the Nikolaiviertel. At first glance, it appears to be an idyllic, historically grown old town quarter. In fact, a large part of today’s quarter is a creation from the GDR era.

The catalyst for the comprehensive redevelopment of the medieval city centre was Berlin’s 750th anniversary in 1987. At the time, East and West were locked in a competition to see who could stage the anniversary celebrations more impressively. A neighbourhood with a historical feel was to be created in the centre of the socialist capital. At the same time, the GDR wanted to demonstrate that industrial prefabricated construction was not only suitable for new housing estates such as Marzahn built on greenfield sites. However, whilst the Nikolaiviertel was extensively reconstructed and redesigned, elsewhere – for example in Prenzlauer Berg – the old buildings were left to fall into disrepair.

Today, you can enjoy a leisurely stroll amongst St Nicholas’ Church, narrow alleyways and reconstructed façades. Cafés and restaurants invite you to linger.

We continue on to Alexanderplatz, one of Berlin’s most famous landmarks, not least thanks to Alfred Döblin’s novel »Berlin Alexanderplatz«. A particularly striking feature is the TV Tower, which opened in 1969 and was completed just in time for the 20th anniversary of the GDR. Standing at 365 metres, it was intended not only as a prestigious architectural project but also as a symbol, visible from afar, of the GDR’s claim to progress. For the opening on 3 October 1969, the SED leadership, led by Walter Ulbricht, gathered at Alexanderplatz. At the same time, the launch of the GDR’s second television channel marked the beginning of the era of colour television.

The World Clock also remains one of the square’s most famous landmarks to this day. It was likewise erected in 1969 and quickly became a popular meeting place. The clockwork is still powered today by a converted Trabant gearbox. Alexanderplatz itself was part of a comprehensive urban redevelopment project designed to transform the centre of East Berlin into a modern socialist capital. Anyone looking around here can still see the mix of ceremonial architecture and functional buildings that characterised the square in the GDR.

Just a short distance away, the character of our tour changes completely. During the GDR era, Keibelstraße was home to a remand centre run by the People’s Police. Between 1951 and 1990, thousands of people were detained here. Alongside people taken into custody for conventional criminal offences, there were also those who had come into conflict with the state due to political activities or other forms of behaviour deemed undesirable. The site thus also stands as a symbol of state repression in the GDR. Not least because of its immediate proximity to Alexanderplatz, Keibelstraße was a name that struck fear into people’s hearts.

Today, the Keibelstraße Learning Centre commemorates the history of the detention centre and examines the legal and political system of the GDR. The episode »Keibelstraße – Detention in the Heart of Berlin« from the film series ‘Orte Ost’ also focuses on this remarkable location.

Back at Alexanderplatz, it is just a few metres in the other direction. From the opposite side of the street, the colourful façade of the Haus des Lehrers immediately catches the eye. The building, which opened in 1964, was the first high-rise to be built on Alexanderplatz after the Second World War. This new educational centre in the heart of Berlin replaced the Teachers’ Association Building, which had been destroyed during the Second World War. Its modern steel-frame construction allowed for an open design of the façade.

Particularly impressive is the monumental mosaic »Unser Leben« (Our Life) by Walter Womacka: some 800,000 mosaic tiles depict an idealised vision of socialist society across several sides of the building. The building itself housed, amongst other things, the stacks of the Central Pedagogical Library. The Haus des Lehrers thus combines modern architecture with the visual language and social self-image of the GDR in a unique way. Architect Hermann Henselmann, who became famous for his impressive buildings on Karl-Marx-Allee, was jointly responsible for the construction.

The Haus des Lehrers stands at the entrance to Karl-Marx-Allee. This boulevard is one of the most striking examples of socialist urban planning in Berlin. On the way to Strausberger Platz, the cityscape changes markedly, reflecting the eventful history of the GDR. Initially, the route takes you past showcases of so-called »East Modernism«, such as the Kino International cinema and Café Moskau. Whilst the western section mainly features buildings from the 1960s, towards Friedrichshain the streetscape is characterised by monumental residential blocks in the so-called ‘confectioner’s style’ of the early 1950s. At Strausberger Platz in particular, the high-rise blocks designed by Henselmann dominate the view.

The street was initially renamed Stalinallee in 1949 and developed into a prestigious boulevard modelled on the Soviet example. Even after it was renamed Karl-Marx-Allee in 1961, the grand parades marking 1 May and the Republic’s Birthday continued to take place here. However, the street was more than just a magnificent façade. The spacious flats in the so-called »workers« palaces’ were highly sought-after homes, allocated to deserving workers and officials. At the same time, the political reality of the GDR was also evident here. On 17 June 1953, the construction site around the Weberwiese became a focal point for strikes and demonstrations against SED rule.

From the U5 underground stations, it is a short journey back to Museum Island. The tour demonstrates just how diverse the traces of the GDR remain in Berlin-Mitte to this day. Amidst prestigious architecture and everyday sites of remembrance, it becomes clear that the history of the GDR can be experienced not only in museums but also in the urban landscape. Anyone walking through the centre of Berlin with their eyes open can discover in many places how the GDR continues to have an impact today and how the architectural and material remnants of its history are being dealt with.