The past few times I’ve been to Berlin, the DDR Museum had always been on my list but managed to get pushed off by something else. Usually that thing is food related. On my recent trip to Berlin, I told myself that I was going to prioritise the museum and make sure I went. And I was so glad that I did.
The DDR Museum is an interactive museum that aims to immerse you in what it was like to live in East Germany. East Germany was so cut off from the rest of the world that there’s still not a lot that we know about everyday life and the DDR Museum aims to illuminate that. I’d say that the museum focuses more heavily on what it was like for normal people just living their lives in East Germany under constant surveillance than about the East German government, etc. (Though there are bits that do touch on the State).
My favourite section was the reconstruction of a communist tower block flat, with 5 rooms (kitchen, bathroom, living room, kids bedroom, main bedroom) fully decorated and styled. The wardrobes were even stuffed with period appropriate clothing. I learned what whilst there was a huge hunger for Western clothing and some Levi’s could be found in East Germany, wearing them was hugely subversive. And jeans available in the DDR had problems holding the dye and were know to run and bleed, running any other clothing you washed them with. I also learned that the huge amount of synthetic fiber based clothing in the wardrobes was because cotton was so limited. To be honest, before I read that bit of information I had just assumed that the clothes all looked and felt like that because it was the 70s – the heyday of bad polyesters.
I will also hold my hands up and admit that I giggled like a pre-teen at the nudity section. Nude holidays were common amongst East Germans and from the displays they seemed to always involve volleyball or swimming. But much to the chagrin of giggles, I learned that the push for nudist holidays was a push against the conformity of the communist government.
Another exhibit that was phenomenally popular was being able to drive an original Trabant P601 (in simulation of course). I think it’s a great museum to bring kids to as there is so much that they’d be able to do. From play games of foozeball whilst learning about the East German football team, to getting to try on clothing to playing in a State kindergarten there’s loads for them to do.
The DDR Museum won the prestigious “European Museum of the Year” award because of its interesting design and unique set up. My only slight criticism is that it’s not very big. Tickets are around 10€ and for that money, I wish there was another floor to the museum. (Don’t get me wrong there’s still a lot you can do and it would be impossible to see everything in under an hour.)
My biggest tip if you want to visit the DDR Museum is to go early on in the day. I went around 10am and didn’t need to queue to get in but inside the museum it was packed already. Friends who tried to go in the afternoon had to queue for ages to even get tickets. So aim to get there early.
The DDR Museum is located at Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 1, 10178 Berlin, Germany.
Have you visited the DDR Museum?
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