DDR Museum

Berlin, Germany

The DDR Museum is an interactive museum located in the former governmental district of East Germany, right on the river Spree. Its exhibition shows the daily life in East Germany (known in German as the Deutsche Demokratische Republik or DDR) in a direct 'hands-on' way. For example, a covert listening device gives visitors the sense of being 'under surveillance'.

The museum was opened on July 15, 2006, as a private museum. The private funding is unusual in Germany, because German museums are normally funded by the state. The museum met some opposition from state-owned museums, who considered possibly 'suspect' a private museum and concerned that the museum could be used as an argument to question public funding to museums in general.

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Founded: 2006
Category: Museums in Germany

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.3/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

K. Zimm (9 months ago)
Good museum to learn about Eastern Germany. We spent some time. Right across from Berlin Dome with a discount for Berlin Welcome card. There is a driving simulator and once again hogged by a group tour kids…ticket purchase desk is very slow…
Aidan Gilbert (10 months ago)
Great insight into life in East Germany, with lots of hands-on exhibits, recreations, a Trabant driving simulator (that is very fun!) and plenty of historical artifacts for you to enjoy. It is a little bit on the small-size, but it packs a lot into its compact floorspace and there's a lot of history to delve into that will keep you occupied for more than a few hours.
Sam Slater (10 months ago)
A truly interesting museum, some great exhibits including a great model of the Palace of the Republic. A bit too busy at peak times but not overwhelming. I'm not sure about the German text but some of the English translations are spectacularly hilarious and always dripping with a neoliberal slant (marketed towards an American audience perhaps?). The particular highlight was the suggestion that nurseries in East Germany (which remarkably had free places for 90% of children) were in fact vessels for the nefarious state to install collectivist ideals in children because nap time was communal. And of course, the gift shop makes its trade selling the icons and aesthetics of the ideology that the rest of the museum has just sarcastically ridiculed which does make you wonder who the museum is actually for (again, other than Americans) - perhaps a moneybox bust of Ayn Rand would sell better than one of Marx? An exhibit on how the former East has been treated so poorly post-Reunification would have been interesting but the museum seems preoccupied with avoiding nuance and balance elsewhere.
Ana Lucía Lara (anaphant) (11 months ago)
Amazing interactive museum in a central location. I learned so much about the history of a country I had no idea existed for ~40 years. I recommend it even for adults traveling with no kids. It's a relatively small museum so visiting can fit nicely even in tight schedules, and since it is close to other amazing museums and landmarks makes it easy to visit. A big plus because it is open even on Mondays and Holidays while other places close.
Jean Kilroe (11 months ago)
A must see and do for families on their Berlin Trip. Truly interactive and sensory, so keeps all busy and happy! Check out the apartment, prison cell, achievements, economy, politics, trabant car drive experience, education etc. Loads to see and do and learn. No queue if you buy tickets in advance and check yourself in through the turnstiles.
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