Wolf Biermann - A poet and songwriter in Germany: admission ticket Reduced (Pupil/Student)

Exhibition: Wolf Biermann. A poet and songwriter in Germany

The German Historical Museum is Germany's national history museum. Located in Berlin's historic centre, it sees itself as a place of lively mediation and discussion of history. Visit the exhibition "Wolf Biermann. A poet and songwriter in Germany" at the German Historical Museum and gain special insights into the life and work of the exceptional artist Wolf Biermann.

The exhibition until 02.06.2024 at the Pei-Bau of the German Historic Museum

Wolf Biermann is one of Germany's best-known songwriters. His expulsion from the GDR in 1976 marked a turning point in the German post-war period. Unlike lesser-known artists, Biermann had become too popular to be imprisoned on the one hand, and too unpredictable to be allowed to perform on stage on the other. Many of his songs, ballads and poems have outlasted the original circumstances of their making. “Warte nicht auf bessre Zeiten” (Don’t wait for better times), “Ermutigung” (Encouragement), “Ballade vom preußischen Ikarus” (Ballad of the Prussian Icarus) have become classics.

From artistic success to expatriation

The exhibition examines the life and work of Wolf Biermann before the backdrop of the special standing that culture enjoyed in the GDR. It follows the songwriter’s development from his move to the GDR and initial artistic successes to the ban that was imposed on his pubic performances and the eventual deprivation of his GDR citizenship. This presented Biermann with a challenge: How was a songwriter to redefine himself who, despite all criticism of the SED leadership, saw himself as a communist? When the civil rights movement in the GDR grew stronger in 1989 and the government began to totter, Biermann first had to remain a passive onlooker. An extensive section of the exhibition is devoted to Wolf Biermann’s family history. For Biermann, whose father Dagobert was murdered in Auschwitz as a Jew and member of the communist resistance, this background was of central importance even before his expulsion from the GDR.

short description

Visit the exhibition "Wolf Biermann. A poet and songwriter in Germany" at the German Historical Museum and gain special insights into the life and work of the exceptional artist Wolf Biermann.

Languages

• German
• English

Opening hours

Important information

• Accepted as a mobile smartphone voucher or printed out
• Valid for the booked date with time slot

Ticket validity after purchase

• No printout needed
• Valid as a smartphone vocher
• valid for the booked day and time

Meeting point

Deutsches Historisches Museum - Pei-Bau Hinter dem Gießhaus 3 | 10117 Berlin

Arrival by public transport

U-Bahn | U6 (Friedrichstraße); U5 (Museumsinsel)

S-Bahn | S1, S2, S25, S26 (Friedrichstraße); S3, S5, S7, S9 (Hackescher Markt)

Tram | M1, 12 (Am Kupfergraben); M1, M4, M5, M6 (Hackescher Markt)

Bus | 100, 300, N5 (Museumsinsel); 147, N6 (Friedrichstraße), N42 (Hackescher Markt)