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Grown on sand
Permanent exhibition
History(s) in the middle of Berlin: well-known and lesser-known aspects of the history and present of Berlin's Mitte district are presented in themed rooms.
Berlin's origins lie in the Mitte district. Built on the sands of the Mark Brandenburg, the two cities of Cölln and Berlin grew together here in the 14th century to form a twin city. In the 19th century, parts of today's district became a center of industry. From 1871, the central administration of the German Empire was located here. Industrialization and population growth made Berlin at times the third largest city in the world. Particularly in today's Mitte district, the infrastructures, street grids and building complexes created at that time are still omnipresent and familiar today. Fascist planning during the Nazi era, destruction during the Second World War and demolitions in the divided city or new buildings after reunification followed: Each time has left its traces.
The exhibition "Gewachsen auf Sand" (Grown on Sand) therefore tells of the interplay of forces that shape the urban space of Berlin's Mitte, dissolve it, and allow it to emerge anew again and again. It brings together examples of urban planning, urban society and urban culture from the last 250 years.
Architectures, institutions and infrastructures determine the way people live together here. City dwellers could and can also claim their right to shape urban space themselves through protest and resistance; they are not powerless. Like sand, the city is always malleable.
Which urban planning concepts of the past have shaped today's Mitte district up to the present? Which moments of emancipation of citizens* have influenced the question of how we want to live today? These questions will be asked in the newly designed Mitte Museum and we invite you to discuss them with us. The history of the building and that of the collection will also be addressed and presented in a newly created area.
The exhibition, which spans ten rooms, was conceived by "h neun Berlin - Büro für Wissensarchitekturen" together with the team of the Mitte Museum.
Translated with DeepL
Berlin's origins lie in the Mitte district. Built on the sands of the Mark Brandenburg, the two cities of Cölln and Berlin grew together here in the 14th century to form a twin city. In the 19th century, parts of today's district became a center of industry. From 1871, the central administration of the German Empire was located here. Industrialization and population growth made Berlin at times the third largest city in the world. Particularly in today's Mitte district, the infrastructures, street grids and building complexes created at that time are still omnipresent and familiar today. Fascist planning during the Nazi era, destruction during the Second World War and demolitions in the divided city or new buildings after reunification followed: Each time has left its traces.
The exhibition "Gewachsen auf Sand" (Grown on Sand) therefore tells of the interplay of forces that shape the urban space of Berlin's Mitte, dissolve it, and allow it to emerge anew again and again. It brings together examples of urban planning, urban society and urban culture from the last 250 years.
Architectures, institutions and infrastructures determine the way people live together here. City dwellers could and can also claim their right to shape urban space themselves through protest and resistance; they are not powerless. Like sand, the city is always malleable.
Which urban planning concepts of the past have shaped today's Mitte district up to the present? Which moments of emancipation of citizens* have influenced the question of how we want to live today? These questions will be asked in the newly designed Mitte Museum and we invite you to discuss them with us. The history of the building and that of the collection will also be addressed and presented in a newly created area.
The exhibition, which spans ten rooms, was conceived by "h neun Berlin - Büro für Wissensarchitekturen" together with the team of the Mitte Museum.
Translated with DeepL
Runtime: from May 2020
Takes place here:
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