25 years after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the Stadtmuseum Berlin deals with the history of a very special part of town: West-Berlin! Many buzzwords describe the particular insulary location of West-Berlin: island of freedom, front city of the cold war, the capital of the alternatives, creative melting pot without closing time and many more. The city was a highly subsidized shop window of the western world, metropolis and isolated habitat which was kept alive by the presence of the western allies.

The exhibition „WEST:BERLIN | An island in search of the mainland“ is the first retrospective of its kind. It follows the political, economical and cultural developments but above all the very special atmosphere of the "half-city" in the years between 1945-1990.

Ths scope of the historically unique free spaces of the city is the guiding line of the exhibition. More than 500 exhibits and media installations take you on an emotional trip through time with unexpected associations and encounters, rediscoveries and surprises.