Hauptinhalt
Nobel Prize-winning author Herta Müller wrote an open letter to Chancellor Angela Merkel back in 2011 advocating a museum about exile. She is the patron of Exilmuseum Berlin.
“To this day, there is no central place in Germany that makes tangible the expulsion of hundreds of thousands into exile by the National Socialists.
The dangers of fleeing, the shell-shocked lives in foreign lands, poverty, fear and all-consuming homesickness – in our modern times, certain groups of people are still experiencing this each and every day, making it all the more pressing for us to truly comprehend the meaning of the word exile.
Learning about the events that occurred during that period of history makes it possible for us to better understand the people who are looking for refuge in Germany today. As a vibrant location of contemporary times, the Exilmuseum will also tell their stories.”
Werkstatt
Exilmuseum
A Place to Think about Exile
Werkstatt Exilmuseum is now our new interim home at Fasanenstraße 24. Here, we will continue developing Exilmuseum, which will be built at Anhalter Bahnhof. Until the building is completed, Werkstatt Exilmuseum will provide visitors insights into the work of the foundation: what’s it all about? What is being worked on? How will it ultimately look? And how can those interested make a contribution?
Open every Thursday, 3–6 pm, for events or by appointment
Werkstatt Exilmuseum will serve as a center to focus on questions surrounding the subject of exile in the past and present. If offers manifold opportunities for participation and serves as site for experimentation, exhibitions, and events, featuring regular discussion events, readings, concerts, film presentations, workshops and so much more.
Current
News
The
Museum
What is Exile?
The focus of Exilmuseum is the period 1933-1945. Persecuted by the Nazis, about half a million people fled abroad in these years. Numerous of them left Germany for what was hopefully a life-saving place of exile from Berlin’s central railway station, the Anhalter Bahnhof. It was always a departure into the unknown, often followed by a lifelong feeling of alienation, fear and longing for home.
Exilmuseum Berlin wants to tell the stories of the people who faced this fate - and at the same time build a bridge to the present: How did flight and uprooting become central experiences of our time? What is the connection between exile then and now? And what can we learn from history for today?
The
Building
The Exilmuseum
Exilmuseum Berlin will be built on the empty space between the portico ruins of the former Anhalter Bahnhof and the Lilli Henoch sports field.
For its realization, the foundation Stiftung Exilmuseum Berlin launched an architectural competition in cooperation with the Berlin Senate’s Department and the district of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg. The winning design by Danish architect Dorte Mandrup impresses with its curving, crescent-shaped façade, which grants plenty of space for the portico ruins while simultaneously seeming to embrace them protectively.
The opening is planned for 2028.
Dorte Mandrup took up the motif of arches, bridges and gates in the old station architecture, but interpreted it using a modern architectural language all her own.
The
Foundation
Exilmuseum is a civic initiative. It closes a gap in Germany's culture of remembrance and and addresses pressing contemporary issues.
Join us in making Exilmuseum a reality: any donation, large or small, is a vital contribution the realization of the project.
IBAN: DE81 1007 0100 0298 8244 00
BIC: DEUTDEBB101
Are you thinking about making a donation or endowment for the Exilmuseum? We are happy to advise you on all your options. Feel free to contact us: info@exilmuseum.berlin
Patrons
Herta Müller
Joachim Gauck
Executive Board
Bernd Schultz
Heike Catherina Mertens
Johannes Wien
Board of Trustees
Peter Raue (Chair)
Academic Advisory Board
Kader Konuk (Chair)
Founding Director
Prof. Dr. Christoph Stölzl ✝
Artistic Director and Curator
Cornelia Vossen
Managing Director
Meike-Marie Thiele
Assistance to the Managing Director
Nicole Skoczowsky
Research Associates
Sarah Blendin
Philipp Sukstorf
Press
Here you can find press releases, pictures, a newsletter archive and a press review.
Contact
Stiftung Exilmuseum Berlin
Fasanenstr. 24
10719 Berlin
Phone: +49 30 7673 3912 0
info@exilmuseum.berlin
Opening times of Werkstatt Exilmuseum:
every Thursday, 3–6 pm (except public holidays),
for events or by appointment
Opening hours during the exhibition "Children in Exile":
Wed–Fri 12–6 pm
instagram.com/exilmuseum/?hl=en
twitter.com/exilmuseum?lang=en
facebook.com/Exilmuseum-Berlin-110623608028557
Your donation helps to make Exilmuseum a reality!
IBAN: DE81 1007 0100 0298 8244 00
BIC: DEUTDEBB101
Your Story
Did you yourself, your family or friends flee from Nazism to a foreign country? What stories can you tell about exile, flight and emigration, persecution, life in a foreign country, about farewells and new beginnings? We would be honored and glad if you told us about your experiences. Since the Exilmuseum will be located at Anhalter Bahnhof Berlin, we are particularly interested in stories of the departure into exile from this station.
Please contact us sending a brief summary of your story either by post or by email.
Stiftung Exilmuseum Berlin is member of the Gesellschaft für Exilforschung e.V.
and signed the campaign of Die Vielen (The Many): Shield & Shine – Against a normalization of extreme right-wing politics in democratic parliaments.
Resonance
Statements on the Exilmuseum Berlin