From 1978 to 1991, over 800 people from almost 40 countries received medical treatment in East Berlin at the so-called Solidarity Ward in the Berlin-Buch Municipal Hospital. The patients were wounded fighters or political activists from socialist-oriented organizations or parties.

They received medical treatment in the GDR and then returned to their home countries or to the theaters of war. Many patients came from what is now Namibia, which was a German colony until the First World War.

The theme of this exhibition thus ties in with German colonial history. Using the Solidarity Station as an example, the exhibition shows not only how this history was dealt with in the GDR, but also how anti-colonial struggles in southern Africa and state-organized international solidarity in the GDR were connected.

The traveling exhibition is a contribution by the Museum Pankow to the Berlin-wide project "Encountering Colonialism. Decentralized Perspectives on Berlin's City History" by the Working Group of Berlin Regional Museums (ABR).

It will be shown at various locations in the district of Pankow in 2024/25 and can be borrowed from the Museum Pankow if you are interested. Information on events and other exhibition venues can be found on our website.

Translated with DeepL