DDR-Museum

Entrance to the DDR Museum in Berlin
Entrance to the DDR Museum in Berlin cc licensed photo by murdelta

'Surprisingly Fun', 'Quirky', 'A Must See', and 'A Unique Perspective' are some expressions used to characterize the DDR Museum. This museum bills itself ‘one of the most interactive museums in the world’.

One element that makes the DDR museum unique is that it’s the only museum in Berlin that is privately rather than state funded.

What makes it even less typical of other museums is the overall theme. This is not only an art museum, or science museum, or a history museum. It is a museum of everyday life in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) while it was still part of the Soviet occupation.

Since opening in 2006, the DDR Museum became an overnight success and was nominated for a European Museum of the Year Award in both 2008 and 2012.

The DDR museum aims to deal with the question of what everyday life was like for the East German citizens who were cut off from the outside world by barbed wire, guard towers, and the Berlin Wall. Also, what was it like to live under constant surveillance?

Three themed areas: Public LIfe, State and Ideology, and Life in a Tower Block expands into 47 sub-topics inside the 1000 m2 permanent exhibition.

Popular exhibits include a simulated drive in an original Trabant P601 automobile, an authentic reconstruction of a five-room flat in a high-rise tower block, numerous interactive games suitable for young and old alike, the monumental fresco “In Praise of Communism”, a prison cell and a Socialist Unity Party conference table in the boardroom with a touchscreen.

The interactive, hands-on nature of the museum makes this a fun, memorable, and educational experience for all age groups.

Facts For Your Visit

Fee: Yes

DDR-Museum Hours:
Opening hours may differ on holidays

  • Monday: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
  • Tuesday: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
  • Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
  • Thursday: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
  • Friday: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
  • Saturday: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
  • Sunday: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Address: Vera Britain Ufer, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 1, 10178 Berlin, Germany

Phone: 030 847123730

Official Website: DDR-Museum

DDR-Museum Reviews

Rated 4.3 out of 5 Star Rating

4 Star Rating One of the best museums in Berlin to show the history of East German society under Soviet rule. It was incredibly busy when we visited and this did make it difficult to interact with any of the museum because there was a queue for everything. We would have appreciated a smaller capacity in the museum, even if that meant we had to wait a while to enter
Ben Horrex - 4 months ago

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5 Star Rating Very hands-on. You get to see many details of daily life in East-Germany. Heard it was quite crowded during the day, so visited from 7pm onwards and it was ok. A lot of information to read and only available in DE or EN so for kids non- reading or not fluent ot may be a challenge as they'll miss the explanation. Visited with my teenage daughter who enjoyed it. NB : Discount ticket with Berlin Welcome Card only available at the entrance.
Olivia Petiot - a month ago

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4 Star Rating A really interesting museum covering life in East Berlin and a world of 40+ years ago. Quite enjoyable and well worth a visit if you have time. Use of Berlin card to reduce cost was also helpful.
Peter Thompson - 3 months ago

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2 Star Rating We thought this museum was terrible. It is too interactive. Too many things to see and do. It was very overcrowded, so it was difficult to even "do" all the activities. The house part was the best part. I give two stars because there were some neat items and information.
Angela M - 4 months ago

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5 Star Rating Very good and worth a look to see how the other half lived it does get busy and gets quite hot. Kids would find sitting in the Trabant fun, the kids we saw there were very curious about it. The mock up of typical DDR flat was very enlightening. It seems quirky but it’s well worth a look.
Terry Moriarty - 5 months ago

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Directions

How to get to DDR-Museum by U-Bahn, S-Bahn or MetroTram

Nearest U-Bahn, S-Bahn or MetroTram Line(s): S3, S5, S7, S9, U2, U5, U8
Nearest U-Bahn, S-Bahn or MetroTram Station(s): S Hackescher Markt, U Alexanderplatz

Hackescher Markt on the S-Bahn is about a 7 minute walk to the museum. Alexanderplatz ,served by 3 U-Bahn lines, is about a 10 minute walk to the museum. Alternatively, take a tram to the Spandauer Straße/Marienkirche stop – the M4, M5 and M6 lines bring you almost to the entrance.

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