50 Years of the Friends of the Dahlem Estate

The focus is on recorded interviews with contemporary witnesses, which are presented on video screens. Founding members, former and current board members, and volunteers speak about their personal motivations, their dedication and their memories.

These voices are complemented by historical objects, photographs and documents that bring 50 years of the association’s and the estate’s history to life. Exhibition panels in the open-air grounds round off the exhibition.

The narrative begins on 7 October 1976, when 33 committed individuals gathered right here, in the Baroque Hall of the manor house, to found the association ‘Friends of the Dahlem Estate’. They opposed the threat of development on the estate’s fields and successfully campaigned for the preservation of the historic estate and the establishment of an open-air museum. In the first twenty years following its foundation, the association managed the Dahlem Estate, organised events, developed agricultural activities and established the site as a museum. This ongoing professionalisation culminated in 1995 with the integration of the Dahlem Estate into the Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin.

The exhibition traces this history right up to the present day:

Even today, Domäne Dahlem thrives on the voluntary commitment of over 100 people – in the museum, in agriculture, in working and interest groups, and in the educational sector. Their dedication shapes Domäne Dahlem as an open place of learning and encounter, freely accessible to all and deeply rooted in urban society.

The exhibition is intended as a tribute to this commitment and as an invitation to discover the diverse perspectives from which Domäne Dahlem has been shaped over the past five decades.