GDR Museum

The GDR Museum (DDR Museum) is located along the waterfront promenade underneath the Karl Liebknecht Bridge across from the Berlin Cathedral. The museum opened in 2006 under the motto "Hands-On History" and is devoted to exploring life and everyday culture in the former East Germany (GDR). The interactive exhibition does not present its items – most of which come from private households – behind window cases; on the contrary, it explicitly invites visitors to touch the pieces and even try them out. A pre-fab housing estate built to a 1:20 scale separates the exhibition into theme-based areas, which include "scarcity", "school", "youth culture" and "leisure". There are also drawers and cabinets that can be opened and in which visitors will find everyday objects and documents. Visitors can also sit at the wheel of a Trabant car and watch TV news reports in a typical GDR living room. In 2010, the exhibition was expanded by means of a new area focusing on the theme of "State and Political Party". A multimedia table in that area allows visitors to gain information about the organisation of the SED (Socialist Unity Party) in a fun way.