Berlin Wall Memorial
The Berlin Wall Memorial, located in the middle of the capital, is the central site commemorating the division of Germany. The outdoor exhibition documenting the history of German division extends along both sides of the historical site at Bernauer Strasse and uses the street’s local situation to convey the larger history. The memorial site includes the monument in memory of the division of the city and in commemoration of the victims of communist tyranny as well as the Window of Remembrance commemorating the people who died at the border. The Chapel of Reconciliation is also located at this site. The Visitor Center and Documentation Center with a viewing platform and exhibition on the construction of the Berlin Wall in August 1961 is also open to visitors. The exhibition “Border Stations and Ghost Stations in Divided Berlin” is on display in the nearby Nordbahnhof station.
Marienfelde Refugee Center Museum
The central reception camp for GDR refugees and emigrants was located in Berlin-Marienfelde in West Berlin from 1953 to 1990. Until the end of the GDR, 1.35 million people passed through this narrow “gate to freedom.” Today an exhibition at the historic site provides information about the exodus from the GDR to the West. More than 900 artifacts are presented on 450 square meters of space – original documents, photographs, and objects from Marienfelde and from refugees – providing a very wide-ranging view of the history. The seven subject rooms of the exhibition cover a range of topics including people’s reasons for fleeing, escape routes, the reception procedure and the difficulties refugees had adjusting in the West.