Stiftung Exilmuseum Berlin

Germany needs a museum dedicated to the subject of exile. No other remembrance project can bring together a central chapter of Germany's history with questions of the present in this way.

As long as the project does not receive any money from the public sector, we are working on its realization as a non-profit foundation completely financed by donations. Join us and support Exilmuseum!

The focus of this museum is placed on exiles who fled Germany from 1933–1945. During this period, around half a million people fled the Nazis abroad. Many of them succeeded in making their way to exile, hopefully to safety, by departing from Berlin’s Anhalter Bahnhof. But it was always a departure into an uncertainty that for some resulted in estrangement, fear, and homesickness for the rest of their lives.
Exilmuseum Berlin will tell of the people who suffered this fate and include the present as well. How did flight and uprooting become key experiences of our time? What commonalities do the exiles then and now share? And what can we learn from history for today’s Germany, now more than ever a land shaped by immigration?

In a space of approximately 1,600 square meters, the permanent exhibition will tell the stories of people in exile with audiovisual exhibits and installations. A 300-square-meter space will be reserved for temporary exhibitions that allow a closer exploration of various subjects. A space dedicated to museum education and outreach as well as an event space will provide resources for exchange and encounter. At the same time, Exilmuseum is intended as a platform and showroom for other initiatives and institutions from around the world that work on the subject of exile.

The design for Exilmuseum was created by the Danish architect Dorte Mandrup. With her bold design, Dorte Mandrup won the architecture competition that was held by Stiftung Exilmuseum Berlin in 2020 with the participation of the city and the local government. A striking feature of the design is its dynamically curved façade that seems to embrace the remaining ruins of the portico as a virtual historical “eyewitness,” while at the same time maintaining a respectful distance.

If you want to learn more about the planned building and the concept of Exilmuseum, you can also visit us at our temporary location: Werkstatt Exilmuseum is located at Fasanenstr. 24, 10719 Berlin. There, an exhibition provides insight into our work, and participatory workshops and events on the topic of exile are held regularly.

For more information: www.stiftung-exilmuseum.berlin/en