DDR Museum Pirna

Description

In the centre of Pirna, the DDR Museum Pirna offers insights into the everyday life and daily practices of the German Democratic Republic up to 1989. As a private museum, it presents a permanent exhibition that vividly reconstructs various spheres of life in the GDR.

The museum is located at Rottwerndorfer Straße 45 in Pirna, housed in a former barracks of the NVA pioneer battalion. The presentation spans two floors; the exhibition is shown on a total area of around 2,000 square meters and comprised (as of April 2013) about 120,000 exhibits. On the outdoor grounds, the historic Dresden "Kinderstraßenbahn Lottchen" has been on display since May 2011.

The collection began in 1993 and led to the opening of the museum in July 2005 on an initial area of about 250 square meters. A move in 2007 brought the exhibition into the barracks rooms with 700 square meters; in 2009 the second level was opened, increasing the exhibition area to around 1,500 square meters. Over the years visitor numbers rose: almost 10,000 in the first year and just under 30,000 in 2013. Since 2010 the facilities have included a large-scale solar installation on the roof.

The display reconstructs typical institutions of the GDR: a complete Konsum, a kindergarten, a classroom, an infirmary and various motor vehicles. The rooms are complemented by photographic works by Hartmut Schorsch. Notable objects include a pacemaker from the 1960s and a dishwasher, which provide rare insights into technology and everyday life. The museum presents itself as a place of material remembrance and as a site for conveying the social realities of everyday life in the GDR.