City history

15 Articles on the topic City history

Anet-Commode

The Anet chest of drawers is part of the Stadtmuseum Berlin’s “Reichsbank furniture” collection. But how did this piece of French furniture end up at the Märkisches Museum, which specialises in the history of Berlin and Brandenburg? In this essay, we will provide insight into ongoing provenance research.

Article, 11 min Lesezeit

The horse’s head on the Quadriga

This horse’s head is all that remains of the original Quadriga, the sculpture that sits atop the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. But why did sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadow (1764-1850) design the Quadriga in the first place? And what role did Napoleon play in it?

Article, 15 min Lesezeit

The Märkisches Museum’s “Special Silver Inventory”

Nearly five hundred silver pieces, including spoons, charm bracelets, children’s rattles and other objects, are stored in a metal cabinet in the Stadtmuseum Berlin’s collection depot. The objects originate from compulsory levies placed on Jewish people from 1939 onwards, and provide insight into a project that the Stadtmuseum Berlin has been carrying out since 1996 to clarify the provenance of each individual object.

Article, 9 min Lesezeit

Gentrify this!

Berlin was long considered poor but sexy. But those times are over. Berlin has become increasingly attractive for large real estate companies and investors. Rents are exploding and affordable housing is becoming increasingly scarce. Gentrification is one of the biggest areas of conflict in current urban development policy.

Video 11:46 Minuten

Hip hop – From New York via Berlin to Istanbul

Tan Bahar aka DJ Cut'Em T. and cultural scientist Verda Kaya look back at youth culture in Berlin-Kreuzberg in the 1980s and 1990s. In particular, they look at the first bands with Turkish-language songs at the Hip hop station in BERLIN GLOBAL.

Video 01:02:11 minutes

Lost Place: Marinehaus

Short-Story, 1 min Lesezeit

The Revolutionary Public 1848

Using the example of 33 historical posters from the “Revolution” room of the BERLIN GLOBAL exhibition, curator Martin Düspohl explains the different positions, backgrounds and nuances of the public texts.

Article, 1 min Lesezeit