BerlinZEIT

A City of Diversity, Upheaval, and Change

Tracing defining periods and spotlighting key years, the exhibition takes visitors on a journey through time spanning eight centuries—from Berlin’s founding to the present day and beyond. Using numerous original objects, the exhibition presents Berlin in an accessible and concise way as a city of diversity and openness, but also as a city of ruptures and radical change.

Three guiding themes shape the newly designed and conceptually refined permanent exhibition: urban development through growth and destruction, tolerance and persecution, rule and co-determination.

The museum’s second floor is dedicated to the period from Berlin’s founding eight hundred years ago to the November Revolution of 1918.

The first floor examines Berlin, which has grown into a metropolis, from its expansion into the surrounding area in 1920 to the present day.

The narrative arc within these time periods follows a chronological sequence, yet visitors can decide for themselves where they wish to immerse themselves in the city’s eventful history.

Various media and interactive stations offer diverse access to selected content—including interviews with Berliners from the 1990s active in politics, business, and culture. Other stations delve deeper into topics such as anti-Semitism, women’s rights, and gay and lesbian emancipation.

A bilingual audio guide accompanies the exhibition.

Background: The presentation of “BerlinZEIT” at the Museum Ephraim-Palais is part of the multi-year, comprehensive renovation of the Märkisches Museum, the traditional home of the Stadtmuseum Berlin for permanent exhibitions on Berlin’s history. Once the modernization of the neighboring Marinehaus is complete, both buildings will form the centerpiece of a museum and creative district at Köllnischer Park in a few years.