Special exhibition: A country in a rubbish container – Removing GDR State Symbols
Berlin, 10 March 2026 – With the end of the GDR, its symbols also lost their validity. Already in the weeks and months before 3 October 1990, public spaces had visibly changed. Signs of SED rule were removed, much of it ended up in bulky waste containers or at flea markets – and later found its way into museum collections via 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?
Facts
Information about the special exhibition:
- Title: »A country in a rubbish container – Removing GDR state Symbols«
- Opening: Wednesday, 25 March 2026, 6 pm in the conference room of the DDR Museum
- Duration: 25 March 2026 – 15 November 2026
- Location: DDR Museum, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 1, 10178 Berlin
Displayed items for the press
- Dieter Bankert, one of the architects of the Palace of the Republic, kept this original grain from the wreath of ears of corn on the state coat of arms at the Palace of the Republic as a personal memento.
- On 1 May and also on the Republic's birthday on 7 October, it was an unwritten law to hang GDR flags outside windows. In the wake of reunification, they became superfluous and often ended up in the rubbish in bundles.
- Socialist role models dominated the streetscape of the GDR. After 1990, this no longer seemed appropriate in many places, and there was a wave of street renaming, especially in cities.
Contact
Simone Uthleb, Press Officer, on +49 30 847 123 7-47 or presse@ddr-museum.de
