Museum Utopie und Alltag

About the museum

In the early 1990s the idea arose to build a museum on East German everyday culture in the planned city of Eisenhüttenstadt – founded in 1950/51 as the first socialist city in East Germany. From 1993 the municipal museum collected everyday objects, with donors themselves deciding what to give. In 1994 the Dokumentationszentrum moved into a historic daycare nursery in the II. Wohnkomplex (residential complex II), which was renovated in line with monument preservation requirements in 1998/99.

The first special exhibition in 1995 made the museum known nationwide. In 2001 came the first permanent exhibition, and in 2012 the current show "Alltag: DDR." After changing operators – city, association, city again – the district of Oder-Spree took over the museum in 2016.

In 2021 the Dokumentationszentrum and the Kunstarchiv Beeskow (art archive) were merged into the Museum Utopie und Alltag. The collections comprise around 170,000 everyday objects and 18,500 works of art, including commissioned art from parties and mass organizations. The museum asks about the relationship between the socialist vision of society and lived everyday life.

Highlights

• Permanent exhibition "Alltag: DDR" in ten rooms
• Museum building in a listed daycare nursery
• Located in the Flächendenkmal (listed area) Eisenhüttenstadt
• Visible storage facility with East German art in Beeskow

Permanent exhibitions

• Alltag: DDR – Show on view since 2012: ten rooms on family, work, consumption, education, and the system of rule in East Germany, with objects, photos, films, and interviews.
• Schaudepot Beeskow – Open storage facility with paintings, graphics, sculptures, and crafts from the holdings of former East German organizations, accessible on tours.

Founded

1993

Operated by

Landkreis Oder-Spree

Director

Christine Gerbich

Admission & discounts

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The exhibitions are not accessible; the elevator is currently out of service.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Regular workshops for children and families; annual summer school for school students.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit