The Wall Museum – Haus am Checkpoint Charlie Museum
It was probably the most famous checkpoint between west and east: Checkpoint Charlie. Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, the last building before the border, opened in 1963. Today, in the same place, the Wall Museum provides information on the history of the former Berlin sectors. www.mauermuseum.de
East Side Gallery
It’s a work of art, an international memorial to freedom , and it shows the Wall as it was: East Side Gallery, a 1.3-kilometre stretch of the Berlin Wall in the district of Friedrichshain, has been transformed into one of the world’s largest open-air galleries by over 100 artists. www.eastsidegallery.com
Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial
The memorial recalls political persecution in the Soviet occupied zone and the GDR and is regarded as the most important memorial to the victims of Communist rule in Germany. Guided tours provide insights into prison conditions under the GDR regime. www.stiftung-hsh.de
The Berlin Wall Memorial and Documentation Centre
The memorial’s address symbolizes the history of the Wall: on 13 August 1961 the GDR began sealing off the border in Bernauer Strasse. The documentation centre provides information on the historical-political background of Germany’s division. www.berliner-mauer-gedenkstaette.de
Forschungsverbund SED-Staat at the Free University Berlin
This association of political scientists and historians researches the structures and foundations of the GDR one-party dictatorship. Their work focuses mainly on Soviet policies towards Germany and the GDR, the totalitarian Socialist Unity Party (SED) and the relationship between the two German states. http://web.fu-berlin.de/fsed/index.html
Center for Research on Contemporary History (ZZF)
The institute carries out research on German and European contemporary history. It was founded in 1992. Since then its staff have investigated numerous questions on the history of the GDR state, organized conferences and presented studies. The ZZF has co-produced an Internet chronicle of the Wall (www.chronik-der-mauer.de) and of the popular uprising in the GDR (www.17juni53.de). www.zzf-pdm.de
DDR-Museum Berlin
A Trabant with an ignition key you can turn to start a virtual journey through a prefabricated housing complex, remains of the recently demolished Palast der Republik (the home of the GDR’s parliament): the museum’s interactive exhibition gives visitors an impression of everyday life in the former German Democratic Republic. www.ddr-museum.de
The Berlin Wall Route
The Berlin Wall Route follows the former border fortifications surrounding West Berlin along a 160-kilometre stretch and 14 individual stretches. The route for cyclists and walkers runs mainly along the former customs boundary or the control strip constructed for the vehicles of the GDR border patrols. www.berlin.de/mauer
Normannenstrasse Research and Memorial Center
The research and memorial centre has installed a museum at the former Ministry for State Security. It contains original offices belonging to the secret police (Stasi). A permanent exhibition provides information about the work of the Stasi, the political system and the opposition in the GDR. www.stasimuseum.de
Forum of Contemporary History Leipzig
In Leipzig, where thousands of citizens took to the streets in the Monday demonstrations of autumn 1989, the Forum of Contemporary History recalls the peaceful revolution. The museum’s permanent exhibition pays tribute to the resistance and moral courage of the population in the GDR and the former Soviet occupation zone. www.hdg.de
