Cargo ships in the harbour

40 Years of Mukran Ferry Port

In GDR propaganda, there was poetic talk of a «bridge of friendship to the land of Lenin» when, on 2 October 1986, the largest transport project of the GDR was inaugurated. East Berlin and Moscow had created, under the strictest secrecy, one of the most important strategic links of the Cold War. The most powerful railway ferries in the world connected the GDR, on a 48-hour schedule and bypassing Poland, directly with the Soviet Union. Wolfgang Klietz has researched the history of this connection between Mukran and Klaipėda (Memel) and will bring it together into a comprehensive picture on this evening, accompanied by many new photographs.

In cooperation with the Museum Berlin-Karlshorst.

Lecture and discussion:
Wolfgang Klietz, publicist, Hamburg
Christoph Meißner, research associate at the Museum Berlin-Karlshorst

Chair: Sören Marotz, head curator at the DDR Museum

Admission is free.
 

28 October 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.