1 Oct 2021 by Melanie Alperstaedt
They are almost rarities of the GDR era: the coloured DEFA picture books. Also known as slide roll films, the picture books were widely distributed in East German homes from the 1950s to the end of the 1970s.
1 Oct 2021 by Vanessa Jasmin Lemke
At 368 metres, it is still the tallest building in Germany: the Berlin TV Tower. In this blog post, we present the history of this world-famous building, which was opened in the capital of the GDR on 3 October 1969, as well as objects from our collection on the subject.
7 Sep 2021 by Jörn Kleinhardt
There was no stinginess with decorations and medals in the GDR. In fact, every field of society had its own awards. We present a small selection in this article.
24 Aug 2021 by Jörn Kleinhardt
The »Interkosmos« programme of the then Soviet Union was intended to advance scientific research vis-à-vis the USA and also made it possible for other nations to fly into space. Sigmund Jähn was the first German to fly into space.
27 Jul 2021 by Jörn Kleinhardt
The Society for German-Soviet Friendship (DSF) was the second largest mass organisation in the GDR and was intended to counteract the anti-Soviet attitude of the population after the end of the war. The DSF was active in cultural work with numerous activities.
26 Jul 2021
One of the most sensational products of the GDR was the »Kaffee Mix«, also called »Erich's Krönung«. In this blog post, we take a closer look at the history of coffee in the GDR.
22 Jul 2021
In the GDR, people liked to drink a lot. Alcohol was not in short supply, and the shelves in the shops were well stocked. Today, the bottles are piled up in the collection of the DDR Museum.
13 Jul 2021 by Sören Marotz
The GDR missed the way to become a world leader in memory chip technology. In 1988, the 1-megabit microchip »U61000« was presented to the Politburo – while the West's 4-megabit chip was already in development.
6 Jul 2021 by Jörn Kleinhardt
The Baltic Sea island of Rügen is known for its long and fine sandy beaches and is the largest island in Germany. The sights attract many holidaymakers every year.
10 Feb 2021 by Jörn Kleinhardt
The official television programme in the GDR was very limited during its existence. Due to the limited range of media, there was also only one programme guide. Until 1969 it was called »Funk und Fernsehen der DDR« (FF) and was then renamed »FF dabei«.
4 Feb 2021 by Jörn Kleinhardt
On 4 February 1956, Deutsche Lufthansa opened its scheduled flight operations on the route between East Berlin and Warsaw. Two years later, the airline Interflug was founded. Our collection contains numerous objects from the 33 years of Interflug.
24 Jan 2021 by Jörn Kleinhardt
Creative building and corresponding system toys have always inspired many children. While in the West one could indulge one's play instinct with Playmobil and LEGO, in the DDR there were also two established building systems with PEBE and Formo. The original idea of plug-in bricks goes back to the anchor bricks developed in Rudolstadt (Thuringia) in the 19th century.
15 Jan 2021 by Dr. Stefan Wolle
At the turn of the year 1989/90, the DDR was in a strange state of suspense. The Wall had been open for eight weeks. The old order was dissolving, a new order did not yet exist. The weightlessness of free fall prevailed. It was only a question of time when the impact would occur.
11 Oct 2020 by Vanessa Jasmin Lemke
In September 2020, on occasion of the 30th anniversary of German Unity, the DDR Museum released the new 0-euro note. It is available in the museum shop.
29 Sep 2020 by Vanessa Jasmin Lemke
With the second volume of the trilogy »GDR in Objects 1949-1990«, the DDR Museum gives a unique insight into the world's largest museum DDR collection.
23 Sep 2020 by Joris Buiks
Art director Joris Buiks presents his eleven personal favourite objects from the eleven chapters of our first collection volume »GDR in Objects 1949-1990. Daily Life, Home, Consumption«.
8 Sep 2020 by Frank Meißner
Dresden was one of the economic and cultural centres of the GDR. The collection of the DDR Museum contains numerous objects that reflect the historical development of Dresden. Ten of them are presented in this article.
1 Sep 2020 by Maximilian Schönbeck
Built in 1742, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden enjoys great popularity today and is one of the world's leading opera ensembles. But what exactly makes the opera so special and what role did it play in the GDR?
17 Aug 2020 by Admin
In this article, the head of collections Jörn Kleinhardt presents his eleven personal favourites from the eleven chapters of the first collection volume »GDR in Objects 1949-1990. Daily Life, Home, Consumption«.
13 Aug 2020 by Jörn Kleinhardt
Two months before the Wall was erected, Walter Ulbricht denied the intention to build a Wall at a press conference. On the night of 12-13 August 1961, construction of the Wall began. In this article we show thematically appropriate objects from our collection.