Blog :: DDR Museum

Collection

Foreign aid by the GDR in Africa

20 Jan 2016 by Admin

Even though the GDR had quite a number of economic problems itself, the small country nevertheless offered foreign aid to many places around the world since the 1960s, which within the socialist language use, however, was referred to as „Anti-imperialistic solidarity“.

Collection

From subject to museum object – how an item becomes part of the collection

Collection

28 Oct 2015 by Admin

One of the core tasks of a museum is the care and enlargement of its collection along a specific collection concept. At the DDR Museum this happens to a large part by accepting donations from the public. Visitors can either deliver their donations directly at the entrance area of our museum or contact one of the members of the collection department. This procedure enables our staff to decide whether the specific object fits the collection concept and will represent a meaningful addition to the collection.

Collection

The Berlin TV Tower

14 Oct 2015 by Admin

On October 3rd in 1969, the Berlin TV Tower was ceremonially inaugurated in Berlin Mitte at the Alexanderplatz in the presence of Walter Ulbricht and other high-rank politicians of the SED party. At the same time the television broadcaster Deutscher Fernsehfunk started its emission and the era of color television in the GDR had begun. Prior to the construction there were constant internal discussions about the exact place and appearance of the tower. After agreement, the then-president of the Deutsche Bauakademie (German Construction Academy) Gerhard Kosel was instructed by the SED leadership with the overall instruction of the project.

Collection

Progress-Filmprogramm - little booklets for big movies

Collection

7 Oct 2015 by Admin

The film distribution company Progress, founded in 1950, had a monopoly in the GDR and brought all movies into the movie theaters, regardless of the fact whether they were domestic or international productions.

Collection

The West in the boob tube

Collection

16 Sep 2015 by Admin

The collection of the DDR Museum has grown again recently. The object concerned is a self-made converter for the reception of the TV channels ARD and ZDF – programs from West Germany and therefore not officially forbidden for GDR citizens, but nevertheless programs only minimally tolerated by the government.

Collection

East-West relationships between minimum exchange and welcome money

8 Sep 2015 by Admin

Regarding the inner-German tourist travel with all its aspects, one will inevitably come across the East-German „minimum exchange“ and the West-German „welcome money“. But what do these terms exactly mean and what were their consequences for the people?

Collection

Summer Camp in the GDR

22 Jul 2015 by Admin

Holiday time is summer camp time! This slogan was true for many children who grew up in the German Democratic Republic. And, truly, the small republic established a great number of summer camps. The youth getaways were divided into pioneer's camps („Pionierferienlager“) and company camps („Betriebsferienlager“) and were spread all over the country. In the year 1989 alone there were 49 pioneer's camps within the GDR, as well as hundreds of additional company camps.

GDR History

Erich Mielke – Minister for State Security

11 Jun 2015 by Admin

On 13 November 1989, Erich Mielke gave his first speech in the People's Chamber at the Palace of the Republic. His words »I love – I love all – all people – well, I love – I'm committed to it« have been quoted many times and offer deep insight into the mind of the 82-year-old man.

Collection

Fashion in the GDR – Fashion – Do it yourself

3 Jun 2015 by Admin

If you think about fashion in the GDR, do you see colors and nice feminine looks? Or do you see grey, shapeless clothes? No matter what you think, both thoughts are right. In the GDR you could find the one and the other.

Collection

The Activist Movement in the GDR

Collection

12 Feb 2015 by Admin

During the first year after the war, the governance had to undertake special strategies in order to increase the industrial production and economy. The dammages caused by the war casted industrial zones into poverty. Many workers, especially men, were still in war captivity. In the East, a large number of infrastructure´s investements of Soviet occuping force were unthinkable. Therefore it was important to make the most out of the available resources.

Collection

Records of AMIGA and LITERA

Collection

24 Jul 2014 by Admin

Fondly arranged and neatly registered in the index the colorful covers of the GDR-records of a record-bag laugh against us. But the diversity of the gaudily jackets deceive; each of them comes from the pressing plant "VEB Deutsche Schallplatten Berlin”, the single record company of the GDR.

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