Free GDR Berlin Map available at the DDR Museum from 3 October

Berlin, 24 September 2026 – Berlin thrives on its history. Yet the unique character of a city that was divided for decades is by no means visible everywhere in today’s cityscape for visitors. The DDR Museum aims to change this and, to mark German Unity Day, is publishing an English-language DDR Berlin Map in collaboration with Berta Heide from »walk this way«. The map guides visitors on three walking tours to well-known and lesser-known sites of GDR history and will be available free of charge from 3 October in the DDR Museum shop.

With the new map, the DDR Museum and Berta Heide also aim to provide a boost to tourism in Berlin. In view of declining visitor numbers and the difficult situation facing many tourism businesses, the initiators believe more must be done to strengthen Berlin’s appeal as a destination. This includes making the city’s unique stories more visible and guiding visitors specifically to places off the beaten track.

No other city in the world can tell a comparable story: for decades, two political and social systems existed side by side in Berlin. The traces of this division remain to this day, yet they have so far been too rarely communicated within the urban landscape and made accessible to an international audience.

Three Walks Through Former East Berlin

Three Walks Through Former East Berlin The English-language DDR Berlin Map brings together sights, museums, cafés and historic locations. Three suggested walks allow visitors to explore the eastern part of the city independently while discovering different aspects of GDR history:

I. WALK: KARL-MARX-ALLEE: a walk along the grand socialist boulevard, featuring GDR architecture, iconic cafés and the Kino International cinema.

II. WALK: BERLIN & GDR: following the traces of Germany’s division and the political history of the GDR, from the former border area to historic institutions.

III. WALK: GDR EVERYDAY LIFE IN THE CAPITAL: a journey through everyday life in East Berlin, exploring housing culture, leisure, food and drink, and places that tell the story of daily life in the GDR capital.

The walks focus not only on major historical events, but above all on places where history can still be experienced in Berlin today. Visitors can sit in an original Trabant, enjoy an ice cream at the legendary Mokka-Milch-Eisbar or try a Currywurst at Konnopke’s Imbiss, discovering along the way how everyday life, architecture, consumer culture and leisure in the GDR continue to shape the cityscape today.

DDR Berlin Map as a Boost for Berlin Tourism

With the DDR Berlin Map, the DDR Museum is offering more than just another city guide. The project is intended as a tangible contribution to Berlin’s appeal as a tourist destination. At a time when tourism businesses are facing declining visitor numbers, the capital needs new experiences that bring its unique stories to life, encourage visitors to spend more time in the city and guide them towards lesser-known neighbourhoods and smaller tourism businesses and attractions.

The DDR Museum believes that the history of Germany’s division in particular still offers untapped potential. Historic sites, architecture, food and drink, and everyday culture could be more closely connected and presented as a distinctive part of Berlin’s identity.

This is precisely where the DDR Berlin Map comes in: it makes history easier to discover across the city and invites visitors not simply to see Berlin, but to understand the once-divided city step by step.

The English-language GDR Berlin Map will be available free of charge from the DDR Museum shop from 3 October 2026.

German Unity Day also provides a special occasion to visit the museum: the DDR Museum presents everyday life and the history of the GDR in an engaging and academically grounded way, allowing visitors to experience what it meant to live in a socialist state and a divided city.

Interview Partners

Berta Heide
walk this way

Gordon von Godin
Director, DDR Museum
Deputy Chairman, INTOURA e.V. Berlin

Interview requests can be sent to presse@ddr-museum.de.