Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
U6 to Kochstrasse or—better from Zoo—U2 to Stadtmitte, Friedrichstrasse 43-45, tel. 030/
253-7250,
www.mauermuseum.de
.
Visiting the Museum:
Exhibits narrate a gripping history of the Wall, with a focus on
the many ingenious
escape attempts
(the early years—with a cruder wall—saw more es-
capes). You'll see the actual items used to smuggle would-be Wessies—a VW bug whose
trunk hid a man, two side-by-side suitcases into which a woman squeezed, a makeshift zip
line for crossing over (rather than through) the border, a hot-air balloon in which two fam-
ilies floated to safety (immortalized in the Disney film
Night Crossing
), an inflatable boat
that puttered across the dangerous Baltic Sea, primitive homemade aircraft, two surfboards
hollowed out to create just enough space for a refugee, and more. One chilling exhibit lists
some43,000peoplewhodiedin“InternalAffairs”internmentcampsduringthetransitionto
communism (1945-1950). Profiles personalize various escapees and their helpers, including
John P. Ireland, an American who posed as an eccentric antiques collector so he could trans-
port 10 different refugees to safety in his modified Cadillac.
You'll also see
artwork
inspired by the Wall and its fall, and a memorial to Rainer
Hildebrandt, who founded this museum shortly after the Wall went up in 1961 (he died in
2004, but the museum lives on as a shrine to his vision). On the
top floor
(easy to miss),
that vision broadens to the larger themes of freedom and persecution, including exhibits on
Eastern European rebellions (the 1956 uprising in Hungary, 1968's Prague Spring, and the
Solidarity movement in 1980s Poland) and Gandhi's protests in India—plus a hodgepodge
of displays on world religions and Picasso's
Guernica
. Fans of “the Gipper” appreciate the
room honoring President Ronald Reagan, displaying his actual cowboy hat and boots. The
smallmovietheatershowsvariousWall-relatedfilms(ascheduleisposted),andthedisplays
include video coverage of those heady days when people power tore down the Wall.
ThismuseumisoneofEurope'sbestJewishsights.Thehighlyconceptualbuildingisasight
in itself, and the museum inside—an overview of the rich culture and history of Europe's
Jewish community—is excellent, particularly if you take advantage of the informative and
engaging audioguide. Rather than just reading dry texts, you'll feel this museum as fresh
and alive—an exuberant celebration of the Jewish experience that's accessible to all. Even
though the museum is in a nondescript residential neighborhood, it's well worth the trip.
Cost and Hours:
€5, sometimes extra for special exhibits, discount with WelcomeCard,
daily 10:00-20:00, Mon until 22:00, last entry one hour before closing, closed on Jewish
holidays. Tight security includes bag check and metal detectors. The excellent €3 audi-
oguide—with four hours of commentary on 151 different items—is essential to fully appre-
ciate the exhibits. Tel. 030/2599-3300,
www.jmberlin.de
.
