As a microcosm of Berlin, the buildings of the Hamburger Bahnhof tell many stories. The “Forum Hamburger Bahnhof,” located between the bookstore and the collection exhibition in the west wing, presents objects and archival materials that explore these stories from 1848 to the present and retell them chapter by chapter.
Image gallery
Ausstellungsansicht “Forum Hamburger Bahnhof“, Hamburger Bahnhof - Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, 2023
Ausstellungsansicht “Forum Hamburger Bahnhof“, Hamburger Bahnhof - Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, 2023
Ausstellungsansicht “Forum Hamburger Bahnhof“, Hamburger Bahnhof - Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, 2023
In the mid-19th century, the main building of the Hamburger Bahnhof was an epoch-defining railway station that adapted to the historical circumstances: In the early 20th century, it served as a museum of architecture and transportation; as a ruin of World War II, it stood on the demarcation line between East and West Berlin.
From a squatted artists’ house in the 1980s, it evolved into a pop-up exhibition space after the fall of the Wall, until it opened in 1996 as the site of the National Gallery.
The archival exhibition is complemented by a space for participatory and discursive programs, including film interviews with people who have been associated with the Hamburger Bahnhof from the 1980s to the present. As a place of gathering, engagement, and transformation, the Forum invites the public to help shape new concepts for the museum.
Admission to the “Forum Hamburger Bahnhof” and its events is free.
Curatorial Team
The exhibition is curated by Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath, directors of Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart; Luisa Bachmann, intern; Claudia Ehgartner, research assistant for education and outreach; Kristina Schrei, curator at Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart; in collaboration with Anna Bründl, Federico Del Río Lewien, Lea Jedynak, Chrysoula Kalpakidou, and Lea Weckert
The “Forum Hamburger Bahnhof” project is supported by the Board of Trustees of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation.
A permanent exhibition of the National Gallery of the State Museums in Berlin.
