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‘Little Berlin’ Museum Reopens With Expanded, Villagewide Exhibition

A €22 million redesign uses VR plus eyewitness accounts to immerse visitors in daily life at the inner-German border.

Overview

  • The Deutsch-Deutsches Museum Mödlareuth opened to visitors on November 9 following an October inauguration by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
  • The modernization, financed by federal and state funds, enlarges the permanent exhibition to more than 500 square meters and frames outdoor views of the former border strip.
  • Exhibits spotlight everyday experiences and escapes, including the self-built DOWA 81 aircraft, a simulated DDR checkpoint in a period Mercedes, and six stations recounting flight attempts.
  • A memorial space honors 22 people killed around Mödlareuth, marked by a barbed-wire cross and brief biographies.
  • Local residents helped shape the reconception through VR visuals, though some witnesses criticize freshly white-painted wall remnants, as Culture State Minister Wolfram Weimer casts the site as a warning against new societal divisions.