A country in a container

Dealing with symbols of the GDR after 1990

With the end of the GDR, its symbols also lost their validity. In the weeks and months leading up to 3 October 1990, public spaces had already undergone visible changes. Signs of SED rule were removed, much of it ending up in bulky waste containers or at flea markets – and later finding its way into museum collections via various detours.

But not everything disappeared without a trace. After 1990, intense debates erupted about street names, monuments and buildings. Today, relics of the GDR are once again present as anchors of identity – both locally and in museums. What does the way we deal with the symbols of the former state reveal about our culture of remembrance?

In the third and final volume of the DDR Museum's series »GDR in Objects«, the themes of state, politics and ideology are brought together under the title »Work, Economics, Politics«. The exhibition shows a selection of items from the collection featured in the illustrated book and asks why a country disappeared so quickly into the rubbish bin.

Introduction:
Sören Marotz, Exhibition Director, DDR Museum

In conversation:
Eric Strohmeier-Wimmer, Head of Collections, DDR Museum
Dr Liza Soutschek, Research Assistant, DDR Museum

SPECIAL EXHIBITION 25 MARCH TO 15 NOVEMBER 2026

Two people on stage in the conference room of the DDR Museum

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25 March 2026, 6 pm

Conference room DDR Museum
Sankt Wolfgang-Str. 2
10178 Berlin

Here you can see the location.

The event will take place in German.