DDR-Museum

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'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.

See the complete line of Berlin Experiences on Viator

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 Personally I am not too interested in history as such, but especially when coming from Europe, one can simply not look away from or deny the impact WWII has had on primarily Europe but certainly also the rest of the world. This museum gives a very unique and interesting look behind the DDR curtains and even a not-too-history-interested-guy like me can learn something here, without falling asleep... 👍
Kim Allerslev - 3 weeks ago

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5 Star Rating Maybe the best museums I've been in. It gives a detailed insight on life in the Soviet Union. There is also a recreation of an East German apartment that you can go in interact with. Very good value for money, tickets are cheap and it should keep you busy for a good few hours.
Charlie Whitworth - 3 months ago

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4 Star Rating 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.
Aidan Gilbert - 4 months ago

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4 Star Rating It's a nice museum in a really good location. The museum is not big and it's really crowded so it will be packed inside (we were there on the Sunday and it was really crowded) There is so many information here and I think it's a nice museum that you can also participate in and not just watching!
Plyfa I. - 3 weeks ago

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4 Star Rating Great museum, a lot of history insights and explanations. A possibility to see the inside of a typical flat from Soviet Union is amazing, I believe seeing how life was a long time ago in details is always fascinating. One fact that made the museum a bit off-putting to me is that it seems like DDR and everything that happened in the DDR is only taken a look at from one “Western” perspective. An example of that would be that for a lot of facts there are comments explaining why it was like that, and most of the time it comes down to “DDR bad”. While I agree that probably life there was harsh and DDR did a lot of bad things, I’m sure there were nice things as well, and I believe they should be displayed too. Museums should try to just show the facts from both perspectives, so one can think and make his own balanced decision on how he sees this thing. This is just my opinion.
Kirill Kramarenko - 2 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.