Blog

GDR History

The Friendship Pipeline

1 Feb 2024
The »Soyuz« natural gas pipeline stretches from the Urals to the former Soviet western border. The construction section in the GDR, known as the »Druzhba line«, was organised by the FDJ. In this blog post, we provide insights into the content and show themed objects from our collection.
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GDR-History

Popular Music in the GDR - Between Repression and Liberalisation

30 Nov 2023 by Charlotte Lenger
Although the SED repeatedly tried to prevent the influence of Western music culture in the GDR, there were hardly any limits to the creativity of young people. In this blog post, we delve into the tense relationship between the state and youth.
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From the collection

White gold – porcelain in the GDR

6 Nov 2023 by Alexandra de León
Meissen, Kahla or Henneberg – porcelain from the GDR was very diverse. This blog article focuses on porcelain production in the GDR and shows some special porcelain objects from the collection of the DDR Museum.
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GDR History

The Palace of the Republic: Between Splendour and Controversy

27 Sep 2023
The Palace of the Republic was a meeting place for the people and politics at the same time. In this blog post, we highlight the history of the palace from its construction to its controversial demolition and show thematic objects from the collection.
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GDR-History

Education and Ideology in the GDR

28 Aug 2023
In the GDR, the education of children and young people was state-directed. The SED primarily pursued economic and ideological goals. In this blog, we look at the measures taken to achieve these goals.
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From the collection

Minimum exchange and welcome money in the GDR

28 Jul 2023
In this blog post, we discuss the East German minimum exchange as well as West German welcome money and show thematic objects from the collection of the DDR Museum.
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GDR History

The path to professional sport in the GDR

24 Jul 2023 by Alexandra de León
This blog post discusses the methods used by the GDR that led to its exceptional sporting success on an international level.
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GDR History

The Summer Olympics and the GDR

20 Jul 2023
In this blog post, we look at the GDR's sporting career at the Summer Olympics.
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GDR history

Queerness in the GDR

15 Jun 2023 by Alexandra de León
This blog post addresses different forms of discrimination against queer people in the GDR, as well as the limited room for manoeuvre that was available to them.
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The ABC of the GDR

5 Objects beginning with A from the GDR – from Amiga to Ata

12 Jun 2023 by Katie McCarthy
In the blog series »The ABC of the GDR« we present well-known and somewhat curious everyday objects from the bygone state. In this post, we would like to show you five classics from the GDR that begin with the letter A.
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GDR History

The history of Tierpark Berlin

31 May 2023 by Alexandra de León
In this blog post, we present the history of Tierpark Berlin and show some objects related to the zoo from our collection.
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GDR-History

May 8th - Liberation Day in the GDR

8 May 2023
The unconditional surrender of all parts of the Wehrmacht after the end of the Second World War came into force on May 8th. In the GDR, this day was celebrated as a legal day of liberation from 1950 to 1967. In this article, we show thematic objects from our collection.
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From the museum

New exhibits in the DDR Museum

3 May 2023 by Alexandra de León
Following its closure due to the accident caused by the burst »AquaDom« aquarium, the DDR Museum has recently taken the chance to renew parts of its exhibition. In this blog post, we present the modernised and new parts of the exhibition.
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GDR history

Record land GDR

26 Apr 2023
The nationally owned company »VEB Deutsche Schallplatten Berlin« was the only record manufacturer in the GDR and covered all genres. In this blog post, we would like to present the individual labels and some of their productions.
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GDR history

Fernsehlorbeeren – the television award in the GDR

12 Apr 2023 by Dr. Stefan Wolle
The television laurels were the most prestigious award of GDR television. In this blog post, you can find out how the winners were determined and which GDR television stars won the prize.
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GDR History

Robotron – The familiar and the curious

14 Feb 2023
The VEB Kombinat Robotron was known for the manufacture of various products for data processing and computer technology. In this blog, we'll show you some well-known, but also lesser-known products of the combine.
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GDR History

»Original Wolfen« magnetic tape and film production in the GDR

7 Feb 2023
The GDR company »ORWO« was known for its technical products, from cassettes and magnetic tapes to photographic film. In this blog post, you can find out how the company came into being and developed over the years.
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From the collection

10 popular records for a Christmas in the GDR

14 Dec 2022 by Alexandra de León
As soon as winter arrives, the Christmas season is never too far away. To get you in the Christmas spirit, we've picked out 10 Christmas records from our collection that were popular to listen to in the GDR.
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From the collection

10 Objects for a Christmas in the GDR

30 Nov 2022 by Alexandra de León
What did a Christmas in the GDR look like? In this blog post, we have selected ten objects from our collection to guide you through a typical Christmas day in the GDR.
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GDR History

Dr. Stefan Wolle interviewed about the »Leseland DDR« exhibition

23 Nov 2022 by Gesche Rintelen
Dr. Stefan Wolle, the author of the exhibition, tells us in the following interview why the GDR was a reading country and what can be discovered by young and old who embark on a journey through time to the reading country GDR while viewing the 20 exhibition panels with their texts, photos and videos.
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