There was a time when all prestigious museums in berlin opened their doors for free every thursday. One of the most popular attractions in berlin, the pergamon museum is world famous for its archaeological holdings. The ddr museum displays a curious collection of items and recreations from east germany that reflects life in the gdr between 1949 and 1990. Visit the tranenpalast palace of tears in berlin european traveler. Most stores in berlin open from 10am until 8pm monday to thursday. What makes it interesting is the interactive nature of the exhibits which gives you a real flavour of what it was like to live in east germany.
Berlin s top museums with adresses, information about current exhibitions, entrance fees, opening hours and public transportion. Museum of the ancient near east museumsinsel berlin. Between 1949 and 1990, about four million people left east germany the gdr for west. In this building you can discover how the stasi operates and take a look at their original technology such as bugs, hidden cameras and weapons. Museum german historical museum museumsportal berlin. The museum shows how the socialist united party was involved in every aspect of life in east germany. A free museum in the tranenpalast literally palace of tears.
More than 100,000 citizens from the east tried to escape across the interior german border or berlin wall. The germanrussian museum berlinkarlshorst is dedicated to germansoviet and. Burglars broke into berlin s stasi museum, which showcases items of east germany s hated secret police, making off with collectible medals and gold jewellery, authorities said sunday, days after a spectacular diamond heist in dresden. Download premium images you cant get anywhere else. Museum island is referenced in the song on the museum island by folk artist emmy the great. How berlin walls economic aftermath affects east germany. Palace due to its surprisingly elegant design for an east berlin. Jump to navigation jump to search this is a list of. The museum of the ancient near east is one of the most prominent museums of ancient near eastern art and culture in the world. The building was designed by alfred messel and ludwig hoffmann and was constructed over a period of twenty years, from 1910 to 1930. Aug 30, 2014 deutsches technikmuseum berlin german museum of technology in berlin, germany is a museum of science and technology, and exhibits a large collection of historical technical artifacts.
This free indooroutdoor museum and memorial is the best place to learn how the berlin wall sprung up overnight, what life was like in the former east german state, and the heroic and. For a collection of cutting edge modern and contemporary art, head for the hamburger bahnhof museum. Berlins east germany museum the berlin museum is a fascinating, if slightly contradictory, look back at life in the german democratic republic, capturing the ambiguities of the. The museum was closed at the beginning of world war ii in 1939, and was heavily damaged during the bombing of berlin. Berlin s east germany museum the berlin museum is a fascinating, if slightly contradictory, look back at life in the german democratic republic. More than 7,000 exclusive exhibits from the german historical museum s collections, whose historical testimonial value is utterly unique, are displayed over 8,000 square metres, presenting a lively, vivid tableau of german history. The deutsches historisches museum was founded by the then federal republic of germany and the land berlin in 1987 on the occasion of the 750th anniversary celebration of berlin. Blame it on the recession, but those days are over. Between 1967 and 1994, the building hosts east germany s great patriotic war museum. A locals guide to berlin, germany the washington post. Pei designed a highly modern building immediately behind it.
The museum is the 11th most visited museum in berlin. The buildings and collections of the museum fur deutsche geschichte mfdg, the central historical museum of the gdr, were transferred to the ownerschip of the. This april, the wall museum east side gallery has opened its permanent location in a former warehouse at the east side gallery, a stretch of. The museum is a small gem with free entry showing artifacts and stories of the people of ddr and the consequences of soviet influence in school, work placed and recreational activities. This authentic and interactive museum is devoted to the daily life in former east germany ddr. The museum is located in the former governmental district of east germany, right on the river spree. History of the east germany gdr ddr museum, berlin. Now the city is coming into its own again as a cosmopolitan capital of germany, attracting mostly young people, students and a creative boheme. But the real treasures, for both kids and grownups, are found in the basement, where you can immerse yourself in the german tradition of wunderkammern, or cabinets of curiosities.
The museum covered life in east berlin with brief and interesting germanenglish displays about various themes, with lots of interactive features such as a trabi you could sit in, a made up flat you could walk around and touch screens. From august 1961 until 9 november 1989, east berlin was separated from west berlin by the berlin wall. If you really want to understand the berlin wall, skip the crowds at the east side gallery and checkpoint charlie and head to this moving and totally free museum just north of the centre. The spy museum berlin, opened in september 2015, was relaunched in july 2016 as the german spy museum. Geographically it ranges from uruk and babylon to assur. Pergamonmuseum is situated on the museum island in berlin. East berlin simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Deutsches historisches museum, known by the acronym dhm, is a museum in berlin, germany devoted to german history. East berlin was the capital of east germany, while west berlin became a west german exclave, surrounded by the berlin wall from 1961 to 1989. The ddr museum is a fun but informative attraction.
The museum is free but still considered as a museum of the highest level, presenting berlin s past insights divided into east and west. Berlin mittewhere was east berlin vs west berlin boundaries. Pergamon museum museum, berlin, germany britannica. Checkpoint charlie is the berlin walls most famous border post. This list of railway museums in germany shows those locations where a heritage railway or tramway is operated or a railway museum or streetcar museum exists. To discover more about berlins history and germanys chequered past, visit the gdr museum, the german historical museum, the markisches museum, the ephraimpalais or the jewish museum. It is often viewed as one of the most important museums in berlin and is one of the most frequented. While you search for these hidden gems, youll see a lot more of the city than most other tourists.
German history from the middle ages to the fall of the berlin wall. This sociohistorical portrait of east berlin sheds light on the experiences of the people whose lives were intertwined with the citys development into a socialist metropolis. East berlin was the capital city of the german democratic republic from 1949 to 1990. Gdr leader walter ulbricht agitated and maneuvered to get the soviet unions permission for the construction of the berlin wall in 1961 to stop eastern bloc emigration westward through the soviet border system. For an overwiew of berlin s museums that offer free admission to young people, click here. Next to checkpoint charlie is a museum with the same name. Between 1945 and 1961, as the soviet union and the east german government tightened their hold, an estimated 3 million people or onefifth of the population of east germany fled to west germany, and berlin served as a preferred point of exit.
In berlin s art museums you can wander through all eras of art history. Blog service card martin riesenburger became chief rabbi of the jewish communities in east germany in 1961. Or to be it simply which museums, main attractions are what were in east berlin. Just after the war, border crossings between these sectors also allowed movement between east and west. It shows how the communist regime shaped everyday life, how people coped with the lack of things and the borders, and how they created free spaces for themselves. The american, british, and french sectors were known as west berlin.
East germany still reeling from the economic aftermath of the berlin wall. Ddr museum closed until may 3, 2020 the ddr museum is now closed until may 3, 2020 due to the berlin senates and the federal governments decisions. Thirty years after the fall of the berlin wall, art from the gdr is finally being exhibited in the biggest show of its kind. Due to the covid19 pandemic, all branches of the staatliche museen zu berlin are closed until further notice. Find the perfect germany berlin east berlin museum stock photo. It was one of the most ambitious building projects of its time due to its use of new industrial construction technologies such as the steam engine. In many berlin museums, admission is free for children up to six. East berlin was the name of the eastern part of berlin between 1949 and 1990.
Inspired by the glienicker bridge at the border between potsdam and berlin, this site was not only one of the few openings in the berlin wall, but also witnessed a number of spectacular spy swaps during the cold war and has since become synonymous with the capital city of spies. The museum is located in the former governmental district of east germany, right on the river spree, opposite the berlin cathedral. Now the city is coming into its own again as a cosmopolitan capital of germany, attracting mostly young people, students and a. The berlin museum is a fascinating, if slightly contradictory, look back at life in the german democratic republic, capturing the ambiguities of. Checkpoint charlie or checkpoint c was the name given by the western allies to the bestknown berlin wall crossing point between east berlin and west berlin during the cold war.
A lot of the visitors were excitizens of east germany. Pergamon museum, museum island, jewish museum and many more. Its in a line of succession of many technical collections that were presented at different locations in berlin. The pergamon, located on museum island, is really three museums in one the collection of classical antiquities also on display in the old museum, the museum of the ancient near east, and the museum of islamic art. Museum opening times vary greatly depending on the season and on the various museums, but most open daily from 10am to 6pm. In cooperation with museums throughout berlin, the exhibition extends beyond the ephraimpalais museum out into the city. Refugee center museum, the gunter litfin memorial and the east side gallery. It describes itself as a place of enlightenment and understanding of the shared history of germans and europeans. It was the soviet sector of berlin that was established in 1945.
In the center of the popular prenzlauer berg district in berlins formerly east german part, zweistrom offers huge portions for great value. Ddr museum closed until may 3, 2020 the ddr museum is now closed until may 3, 2020 due to the berlin senates and the federal governments decisions to prevent the increasing spread of covid19 in the city. A story about east germany ddr museum, berlin traveller. A very useful audio guide may be downloaded from the tranenpalast site in german or english. The name of the operating company is given where known. The german democratic republic gdr, or communist east germany, ceased to exist at. Burglars hit east german secret police museum in berlin. The institute for museum research of the prussian cultural heritage foundation annually names the most visited museums. Luckily, berlin also has a number of free museums, both established and offbeat. Berlin is one of the top cultural hotspots in europe. But can you tell which area is west berlin vs which area is east berlin. The german museum of technology in berlin was opened in 1983. Our permanent exhibition on everyday life in the gdr shows what east germans lives were like in the 1970s and 1980s at work, in public and in private. The old masters, important modernist works and contemporary art.
This april, the wall museum east side gallery has opened its permanent location in a former warehouse at the east side gallery, a. For instance, the museum district is east berlin correct. With the berlin museum pass, you get free admission to more than 30 exhibitions and museums on three consecutive days. You can see a typical ddr living room, try on usual ddr clothes, use an original typewriter or sit in a trabant. It is divided into three main areas public life, state and ideology, and life in a tower block. The neues museum on berlin s museum island was opened in 1859 to bring relief to the overpopular and overcrowded altes museum. When the berlin wall fell on november 9, 1989, its destruction was nearly as instantaneous as its creation. Originally aimed at teenagers, the free jugend museum has a permanent interactive exhibit on berlin s ethnic diversity.
Although it was always legally a part of an occupied city, east berlin was claimed as the capital of east germany. East berlin historical division, berlin, germany britannica. The berlin wall was a guarded concrete barrier in and around berlin, germany, that physically and ideologically divided berlin in east berlin and west berlin from 1961 to 1989 during the era of the cold war. In addition there are items and loans from other german and eastern european collections, gifts and legacies. Thanks to having once been the capital of a kingdom and several empires as well as its stint as two different cities the german capital has been enriched by multiple cultures of centuries gone by. Nearly a year after the fall of berlin wall, on 3 october 1990, the accession of the german democratic republic to the federal republic of germany was declared. On fridays and saturdays, some of the largest shops stay open until later.
The first thing you see when entering the museum s grounds is a soviet t34 tank. May 19th 1995, on the 50th anniversary of the end of war, the germanrussian museum finally opens its doors. The berlin wall memorial is the central memorial site of german division. The american, british and french sectors became west berlin, a part of west germany. The ddr museum is a museum in the centre of berlin. Berlin has added a major new attraction to the city. In berlin s historical centre, the german historical museum deutsches historisches museum is housed in two architecturally stunning buildings. We will keep you updated on our website about all further developments, and are working to expand our online content for you. The museum does a great job capturing the life of ordinary east germans. If you are a real culture fan and cannot get enough of the museums in berlin, the museum pass is the ticket for you. The western allied powers did not recognise east berlin as the gdrs. Jump to navigation jump to search this is a list of museums and non.
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