The “DDR-Restaurant Domklause” closes

Some decisions are difficult, above all the necessary ones. Since 2010 we have attended to the idea of a “DDR-Restaurant” and now we have to confess, that the running of a restaurant requires too much capacities. The preservation and the imparting of history are our core tasks as a museum. All other projects have to subordinate themselves to this goal.

This balance isn’t fulfilled in the “Domklause” anymore: Because of losses of the managers the restaurant retains personnel workforce of the museum and high costs debit the budget of the house. A cross-financing of the running of the Restaurant by the exhibition would be contrary to our important goals as museum.

To offer the visitors a unique experience, the exhibition requires also with steadily increasing attendances more space. At our site directly in Berlin-Mitte this is limited. Because of that the exhibition competes directly with the restaurant for the areas and for us as a museum the exhibition always ranks first. Reluctantly we close the “DDR-Restaurant Domklause” by the end of this month.  

Independent of the mentioned facts or of the vision of an innovative museum it is a decision that is about people . In the “DDR-Restaurant Domklause” work excellent colleagues, who have to reorient. A situation in which we brings nobody thoughtless. We close therefore knowingly directly before the gastronomical season to put the colleagues the best precondition for quick reentrances in the job market.

This release hurts of course. We lose through this decision people, who conjured a smile on our face in the stressed everyday work. Who supported us for common projects, who attended with heart and competence to the common idea of a “DDR-Restaurant” with authentic GDR dishes.  We hold maybe the strategy, but the colleagues were the heart and soul of the “Domklause”. They can be proud on this.

Should you want to experience once again authentic GDR dishes in the “Domklause", you have to hurry a little bit. Till the 31st of March 2015 you can visit the “DDR-Restaurant”. Naturally we and the colleagues of the “Domklause” know about the closing for quite some time, but we had to cancel all reservations of clients first before the public announcement. In our opinion we owed that to all, who had faith in the “DDR-Restaurant”.

We all thank the colleagues for their big engagement and wish every single member in the team of the “DDR-Restaurant Domklause” all the best for the future!