Heavy Metal in the GDR

Louder, harder, faster - in the 1980s, heavy metal fascinated young people all over the world.

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  – Die Heavy Metal-Band "Asathor" während eines Konzert-Auftrittes im Jugendclub der Bauarbeiter in Magdeburg.

• – Ihr RFT-Radio Modell R4100 beklebt DDR-Heavy-Metal-Fan Claudia Bamberg mit Band-Aufklebern. Das Aufnehmen von Musik aus dem Radio auf Kassette ersetzt teure und seltene Schallplatten.

While bands like Metallica and Iron Maiden conquered the stages in the West, an equally energetic heavy metal scene developed in the GDR in the decade before the fall of the Berlin Wall and reunification, which was orientated towards the West and eyed with suspicion by the SED regime.

Original objects and media stations for a comprehensive heavy metal experience

The exhibition "Heavy Metal in the GDR", which can be seen from 19 March 2024 to 9 February 2025 at the Museum in der Kulturbrauerei in Berlin, takes a look at the everyday lives of fans and bands: numerous original objects such as leather jackets and studded bracelets, guitars and records tell the story of music and youth culture in the GDR in the 1980s. Several media stations with contemporary film material and interviews with contemporary witnesses bring the stories to life.

How the heavy metal scene dealt with the SED regime

The cohesion of the heavy metal scene is just as much a topic as the challenges faced by the more apolitical "metalheads" in dealing with the SED regime. Harassment and surveillance by the Stasi were part of everyday life. However, with the increasing success of bands and radio programmes such as "Tendenz Hard bis Heavy" on the youth station DT64, heavy metal is increasingly tolerated and the scene is given more freedom.what happens to the scene after 1989/90? And what remains of heavy metal in the GDR? The exhibition takes a look at everyday life in East Germany in the 1990s and 2000s and traces the heavy metal scene through upheavals, extremes and revitalisation right up to the present day.

Interactive stations and photo point

Various interactive stations in the exhibition invite visitors to discover and try things out: Visitors can immerse themselves in musical masterpieces in a soundproof booth. A photo point gives fans the opportunity to immortalise themselves as Motörhead stars. Visitors can share their own heavy metal stories at the replica bar of a heavy metal pub.

Opening hours

Tuesday to Friday from 9 am to 6 pm

Saturday, Sunday and public holidays from 10 am to 6 pm

Free admission

Runtime: Tue, 19/03/2024 to Sun, 09/02/2025

Takes place here:

• Museum in der Kulturbrauerei