GDR holiday flat at Gewi Eisenhüttenstadt

Here you can immerse yourself in history: The living room features original furniture, including an RFT television from the 80s and a record player with an AMIGA record - the latter is a replica, but still provides authentic flair. Historical magazines such as the East German fashion magazine ‘Pramo’ with original patterns are displayed on an original table. Cupboards, display cabinets and room doors - some made of wood, some of glass - also date from the construction period and have been carefully preserved.

The bathroom offers a successful blend of history and modernity. While the furnishings have been kept simple, details from the GDR era have been largely omitted in order to meet today's comfort requirements. The kitchen features an exciting combination of historical and modern elements: A bread slicer that disappears into an old cupboard and nostalgic jars labelled ‘Natron’ and ‘Pfeffer schwarz-ganz’ are reminiscent of the 70s and 80s. At the same time, modern appliances ensure comfort and safety.

In the bedroom, a double bed ‘Made in GDR’ invites you to linger, complemented by a new slatted frame for maximum comfort. A historic ceiling lamp and decorative green perfume bottles on the chest of drawers add to the nostalgic ambience, while the spacious GDR wardrobe offers plenty of space for clothes.

The old cream-coloured telephone in the entrance area is a particular eye-catcher - a decorative piece that underlines the charm of the past, even if it is no longer functional. WLAN is of course available for modern communication and entertainment.

Further furnishing details:

• Bathroom with window
• Bathtub
• Kitchen with window
• Microwave

Creation of the GDR flat

The story of this special flat began in 2008, when the Documentation Centre for Everyday Culture of the GDR (now the Museum Utopia and Everyday Life) furnished an empty 67 square metre flat true to the original with the help of the people of Eisenhüttenstadt. This model flat was initially intended as a temporary museum offering in the Straße der Republik. However, the interest in the housing and living conditions in the GDR remained and so the building management decided to take up the idea and design the current flat.

Furnishing the GDR flat required a great deal of research and collecting. Although the depot of the Utopia and Everyday Life Museum provided valuable information on typical furnishings from the 50s and 60s, many pieces of furniture and decorative items first had to be found through targeted clearing campaigns in cooperation with the caretakers. Suitable pieces were collected for a year and a half in order to make the flat as authentic as possible.

About Eisenhüttenstadt

Eisenhüttenstadt, known as the first socialist planned town on German soil, offers a unique backdrop for your stay. The town, which is considered Europe's largest area monument, allows you to travel back in time to the GDR. Here, in the middle of the largest national monument with architecture from the years of reconstruction of the German Democratic Republic, you can experience life in the GDR from a completely new perspective.