Gründerzeit Museum
A journey back in time to the elegance of the golden age
A manor house filled with grandfather clocks and gramophones, a historic Berlin pub in the basement, and at its heart the story of a woman who challenged social conventions: the Gründerzeit Museum in Mahlsdorf explores Charlotte von Mahlsdorf’s passion for the domestic culture of a bygone era while shedding light on an almost hidden chapter of queer history in East Germany.
The manor house in Mahlsdorf is already more than two hundred years old! Today, it houses one of the finest collections in Berlin relating to the Gründerzeit period – between 1870 and 1900.
This collection is thanks to Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, one of Germany’s most famous transgender women. Her sometimes dramatic life story is being made into a film by Rosa von Praunheim, entitled *Ich bin meine eigene Frau*. Charlotte was born as Lothar Berfelde on 18 March 1928 in Berlin-Mahlsdorf. From an early age, the child felt like a girl, but was forced by her father to join the Hitler Youth. A row ensued and Charlotte killed her father in his sleep. She was initially placed in a psychiatric institution and subsequently sentenced to a juvenile detention order. However, she was released after the Nazi regime came to an end. A new chapter in her life began.
Charlotte von Mahlsdorf – the Republic’s most famous transgender person
Charlotte is arguably the most famous transgender figure in the Republic. From the ruins of the metropolis, she painstakingly and diligently collected the beautiful old possessions of the lower and middle classes that had survived the barrage of bombs and the conflagration of the war – furniture, clocks, cutlery. In this way, she saved so many historic everyday objects from being lost forever. Between 1946 and 1948, she protected the abandoned Friedrichsfelde Palace in Berlin’s Tierpark from vandalism and decay by moving in there, taking in refugees and organising guided tours.
By the time she moved into the Mahlsdorf manor house – which was threatened with demolition – at the turn of the year 1958/59, her possessions had grown into a proper collection. She immediately set about restoring the house and opened her Gründerzeit Museum there in 1960.
The gentle ticking of the grandfather clocks
Take your time to look around the house’s 17 fully furnished exhibition rooms: They are furnished with remarkable consistency, featuring everything from furniture, cast-iron stoves and lamps right through to linen sets and monogrammed embroidery from the Gründerzeit period (1870–1900). The grandfather clocks here tick gently and ring out with a loud chime, whilst in the kitchen, alongside an original stove from the period, there is even an icebox and many typical kitchen utensils. Clocks, music boxes, mechanical toys, phonographs and gramophones hold a special fascination for Charlotte, a qualified conservator.
Grand chandeliers and tall wall mirrors evoke the atmosphere of a balmy summer’s evening in the former garden hall. Experience the airy elegance of the so-called ‘Guten Zimmer’, which leads via an open staircase into the estate park. A stroll through the picturesque estate park, with its restored, historically curved paths, is sure to delight you.
Club room and ‘Hurenstube’
And in the basement of the building, a completely different ambience awaits you: here you’ll find Berlin’s last fully preserved pub from the Scheunenviertel district – Charlotte saved the ‘Mulackritze’ from demolition in 1963 and has recreated it in its original form in the museum’s cellar. Step back in time to the days of Pinselheinrich Zille in the club room and the ‘Hurenstube’. During the GDR era, people from the film, art and gay communities of (East) Berlin used to meet at Charlotte’s in Mahlsdorf.
Together with the estate park and the museum, the manor house in Mahlsdorf, in Berlin’s Marzahn-Hellersdorf district, forms a highly impressive ensemble in which residential and garden culture are exemplarily combined.
Why a visit is particularly worthwhile for queer travellers to Berlin
Today, Berlin is associated worldwide with queer culture. Many well-known LGBTQ+ venues are located in Schöneberg, Kreuzberg or Mitte. Mahlsdorf broadens this perspective to include the east of Berlin.
In the 1970s, Charlotte’s Museum became a meeting place for the queer scene in the GDR. The Homosexual Interest Group Berlin (HIB) also used the Mulackritze. The gatherings were under surveillance by the state authorities; in 1978, such meetings at the museum were banned.
Charlotte’s life remained contradictory and extraordinary. She defied simple social categories and used terms to describe herself that do not always lend themselves readily to today’s understanding of trans identities. It is precisely this historical complexity that makes exploring her biography so interesting.
In 1992, she was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit. After later moving to Sweden, she remained connected to Mahlsdorf. Charlotte von Mahlsdorf died in 2002 whilst visiting Berlin.
Please note: The museum can only be visited as part of a guided tour. The tour lasts approximately one hour and includes a demonstration of mechanical musical instruments.
FAQs about the Gründerzeit Museum and Charlotte von Mahlsdorf
Why is the Gründerzeit Museum important for Berlin’s queer history?
Charlotte von Mahlsdorf did not merely establish a museum. In the 1970s, her house became a meeting place for queer people in East Berlin. The Berlin Homosexual Interest Group also met here. The state authorities monitored the meetings and banned them in 1978. The museum is therefore one of the remarkable surviving venues of queer GDR history.
Who was Charlotte von Mahlsdorf?
Charlotte von Mahlsdorf (1928–2002) was a collector, restorer and founder of the Gründerzeit Museum. Today, she is widely remembered as a significant figure in German trans* and queer history. At the same time, Charlotte also used other contemporary self-identifiers throughout her life. Her life was brought to the attention of a wide audience through Rosa von Praunheim’s film *Ich bin meine eigene Frau* and, later, through Doug Wright’s internationally successful play *I Am My Own Wife*.
Can you visit the Gründerzeit Museum without a guided tour?
No. A visit to the museum takes the form of a guided tour. This lasts around 75 minutes and includes a demonstration of historical mechanical musical instruments.
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