DDR Museum Director Gordon Von Godin joins Shane Whaley on the Radio GDR Podcast.
Image of Herr von Godin (Copyright DDR Museum.)
On this episode of Radio GDR (the only Podcast about East Germany in English) Gordon shares with us:
- the mission of the DDR Museum
- some of the exhibits that are available for viewing at the DDR Museum
- how the DDR Museum aims to achieve a balance by showing the daily life of East Germany whilst acknowledging the sensitivity of the issues around the Stasi and the dictatorship of the German Democratic Republic.
- the reaction of former GDR citizens to the DDR Museum
- what hurts former GDR citizens when it comes to identity
- how much time you should spend in the DDR Museum to get the most out of it. (If you are a GDR history nerd like Shane you may need more time.)
- his favorite items in the DDR Museum
- what DDR music you may hear in the restrooms at the museum.
- more about temporary exhibitions
Love, Sex and Socialism at the DDR Museum from summer 2018 - what was it like growing up in East Germany?
- how is Prenzlauer Berg now compared with life there before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
- where he was when the Berlin Wall fell
- music that Gordon enjoyed in the GDR.
- what did Gordon spend his 100 DM on?
- which nationalities visit the DDR Museum
And Much More!
Some of the photos Shane took at the DDR Museum.
Resources mentioned on this episode of Radio GDR.
DDR Museum (includes ticket purchase options.)
Follow the DDR Museum on Twitter
Tripdvisor reviews of the DDR Museum
Atlas Obscura review of the DDR Museum
Karat
You might recognise this tune from the Radio GDR Podcast intro.
The 1970s were the golden years of rock in East Germany and Karat, founded in autumn 1974, have been at the forefront of that genre ever since they played their first-ever concert in February 1975. They soon became popular, cementing their growing fame with their breakthrough hit ‘Über sieben Brücken musst du gehn’. In 1979, they were even granted permission to perform in West Berlin. Karat are still touring; their most recent studio album was released in 2015.
Silly
‘Another of the GDR’s major rock acts, Silly was founded in East Berlin in 1978 under the moniker ‘Familie Silly’ – ‘Silly’ alone being too much of an Anglicism for the purists in the licensing office. Four years later, the band was granted official approval to rename itself. Silly survived the fall of the Berlin Wall, but suffered a painful loss in 1996, when their charismatic singer Tamara Danz died of cancer at the age of 43. The band is still touring with a new line-up and released a double album of live tracks in 2017. ‘Bataillon d’Amour’ is among their most enduringly famous tracks.”
Information on Silly and Karat from the article titled ‘East German Rock Legends Everyone Should Know.’
GDR Objectified with John Paul Kleiner and his episode on Montreal.
As mentioned on this episode of Radio GDR, our listeners facebook group is gaining momentum. If you are are interested in chatting to others about GDR history and sharing photos from trips and/or your collection then this is the place for you!