DDR Museum, Berlin, Germany - SpottingHistory.com

The DDR Museum is an interactive museum located in the former governmental district of East Germany, right on the river Spree. Its exhibition shows the daily life in East Germany (known in German as the Deutsche Demokratische Republik or DDR) in a direct 'hands-on' way. For example, a covert listening device gives visitors the sense of being 'under surveillance'.

The museum was opened on July 15, 2006, as a private museum. The private funding is unusual in Germany, because German museums are normally funded by the state. The museum met some opposition from state-owned museums, who considered possibly 'suspect' a private museum and concerned that the museum could be used as an argument to question public funding to museums in general.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Tomáš Titěra (2 years ago)
The most interactive museum I've ever been to. You have to open a lot of drawers to see all the exhibits. Totally worth the visit. Might be a bit tedious for someone who grew up in the eastern block, but it's still a nice comprehandable collection of objects and information from everyday life. Would appreciate more focus on the Berlin Wall in this context, but I suppose there are other dedicated museums in the city focusing on that.

Adam Warren (2 years ago)
After a few days of relatively ordinary museums (which there's nothing wrong with, and of which excellent examples Berlin is full!) this was a nice light-hearted break. It may be slightly geared towards children, but I still learned plenty here about a period of history I was pretty ignorant about, and had fun while I was doing it. Recommended!

Michaela Trykarová (2 years ago)
Very nicely done museum where you can learn about the German Democratic Era. Exposition is quite big and offers lot of interactive features and perks. Plethora of information is well explained at there is games and riddles incorporated in the visit as well to make it even more enjoyable. Would like to drive the famous Trabant or decode the language slang of the past eastern block of Germany? Well head over and don't forget to buy your tickets online, it will save you a lot of valuable time and waiting outside in the middle of winter!

Μηνάς Χρυσανθακόπουλος (3 years ago)
Absolutely have-to-visit museum of the history, way of life, and many other things concerning the old East Germany. Huge material of info, images, photos and sound given in clever and interactive ways through screens and other high technology ways. I believe Germans will love it more because they know more about the history of Germany those years after the war but visitors from other countries will enjoy it as well. You actually feel like you're an Eastern German citizen! I totally recommend it!

Angus Broadbent (3 years ago)
Very interactive and enjoyable experience. The queue was long to get in but it moved at a decent pace. They controlled the amount of people coming in so it wasn't too overcrowded which was good. Exhibits were both fun and informative. A strong recommendation from me!

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The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius is a world famous spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church and a popular site of pilgrimage and tourism. It is the most important working Russian monastery and a residence of the Patriarch. This religious and military complex represents an epitome of the growth of Russian architecture and contains some of that architecture’s finest expressions. It exerted a profound influence on architecture in Russia and other parts of Eastern Europe.

The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, was founded in 1337 by the monk Sergius of Radonezh. Sergius achieved great prestige as the spiritual adviser of Dmitri Donskoi, Great Prince of Moscow, who received his blessing to the battle of Kulikov of 1380. The monastery started as a little wooden church on Makovets Hill, and then developed and grew stronger through the ages.

Over the centuries a unique ensemble of more than 50 buildings and constructions of different dates were established. The whole complex was erected according to the architectural concept of the main church, the Trinity Cathedral (1422), where the relics of St. Sergius may be seen.

In 1476 Pskovian masters built a brick belfry east of the cathedral dedicated to the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. The church combines unique features of early Muscovite and Pskovian architecture. A remarkable feature of this church is a bell tower under its dome without internal interconnection between the belfry and the cathedral itself.

The Cathedral of the Assumption, echoing the Cathedral of the Assumption in the Moscow Kremlin, was erected between 1559 and 1585. The frescoes of the Assumption Cathedral were painted in 1684. At the north-western corner of the Cathedral, on the site of the western porch, in 1780 a vault containing burials of Tsar Boris Godunov and his family was built.

In the 16th century the monastery was surrounded by 6 meters high and 3,5 meters thick defensive walls, which proved their worth during the 16-month siege by Polish-Lithuanian invaders during the Time of Trouble. They were later strengthened and expanded.

After the Upheaval of the 17th century a large-scale building programme was launched. At this time new buildings were erected in the north-western part of the monastery, including infirmaries topped with a tented church dedicated to Saints Zosima and Sawatiy of Solovki (1635-1637). Few such churches are still preserved, so this tented church with a unique tiled roof is an important contribution to the Lavra.

In the late 17th century a number of new buildings in Naryshkin (Moscow) Baroque style were added to the monastery.

Following a devastating fire in 1746, when most of the wooden buildings and structures were destroyed, a major reconstruction campaign was launched, during which the appearance of many of the buildings was changed to a more monumental style. At this time one of the tallest Russian belfries (88 meters high) was built.

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In 1993, the Trinity Lavra was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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