Museumsportal Berlin

There are seven thematic areas at the permanent exhibition:

1. Reasons for Leaving explains the diverse reasons for the flight and emigration from the GDR to the Federal Republic from 1949 to 1990 (room with an excursus on west-east-migration).

2. Ways to the West describes the conditions, routes and forms of flight during several phases of the rule of the SED (Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, Socialist Unity Party of Germany) rule and of the border regime.

3. The Emergency Reception Procedure explains the legal framework and the day-to-day practice of the reception procedure for refugees and emigrants from East Germany.

4. The Refugee Centre traces the history of the refugee camp in the Berlin district of Marienfelde. It also provides insights into the organisation of the camp and the daily life of the camp's residents.

5. Enemy Object Marienfelde examines the role and influence of the Ministry for State Security of East Germany ("the Stasi") at the Marienfelde Refugee Centre.

6. Arrival in the West explains the policy and practice of integration starting in the 1950s. It contrasts the political claims of the time with the actual experiences of East German refugees.

7. The Artistic Perspective shows how artists have treated the topic of flight and emigration from East Germany in visual art, literature, music, and film.

At the conclusion of the permanent exhibition, a reconstructed apartment for refugees, completed with original furniture from the 1950s, offers some insight into the living conditions endured by those who passed through Marienfelde.