Blog | DDR Museum

From the collection

Reaching for the Stars: The »Interkosmos« Programme of the Eastern Bloc

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. Read more

From the collection

Collection

The Society for German-Soviet Friendship

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. Read more

From the collection

From the collection

»Kaffee Mix« and coffee crisis

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. Read more

From the collection

From the collection

Alcohol in the GDR

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. Read more

From the collection

From the collection

On the way to world class – the 1-megabit memory chip

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. Read more

DDR tourism

Travelling

Baltic Sea Island Rügen

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. Read more

From the Collection

The magazine »FF Dabei«, a popular companion for the TV programme

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«. Read more

From the collection

From the collection

Civilian travel with Deutsche Lufthansa and Interflug

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. Read more

From the collection

From the collection

Creative building with Formo and PEBE bricks

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. Read more

GDR history

Ask Dr. Wolle

Storming the Stasi: Memories of 15 January 1990

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. Read more

Museum news

From the Museum

0-euro note: 30 Years German Unity

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. Read more

From the collection

From the Collection

Pictorial: »GDR in Objects 1949-1990. Leisure, Culture, Travel«

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. Read more

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From the collection

DDR in Objects 1949-1989

The Art Directors' 11 Favourites of the Collection Volume I

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«. Read more

From the collection

From the Collection

10 GDR Objects from Dresden

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. Read more

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DDR tourism

Places of the GDR

Berlin State Opera Staatsoper Unter den Linden

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? Read more

From the collection

GDR in Objects 1949-1990

The Head of Collections' 11 Favourites of the Collection Volume I

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«. Read more

From the collection

From the collection

The Final Division of Berlin – The Erection of the Wall on 13 August 1961

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. Read more

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GDR mass organisation

The Society for Sport and Technology

What began in 1952 as a mass organisation for the leisure activities of young people increasingly developed in a paramilitary direction. From the mid-1970s, the Society for Sport and Technology (GST) called itself the »socialist military organisation of the GDR« and took on the military education of adolescents. Read more

From the collection

From the Collection

Pictorial: »DDR in Objects 1949-1990. Daily Life, Home, Consumption«

With the first volume of the trilogy »GDR in Objects 1949-1990« the DDR Museum gives a unique insight into the world's largest museum DDR collection. Read more

GDR history

GDR History

Dederon - a GDR synthetic fibre prevails

Folds well, doesn’t crease, dries quickly and is versatile - these attributes perfectly describe the synthetic fibre Dederon, which was used to make shirts, aprons, bags and tights for the masses in the GDR since the 1960s. Read more