Museumswohnung WBS 70

The WBS 70 Museum Apartment in Hellersdorf: GDR Everyday Life to Touch

When the Prefabricated Building Becomes a Museum

The WBS 70 Museum Apartment is one of 42,000 WBS 70 type apartments that were built in Hellersdorf using prefabricated construction. The shell of such an apartment back then took just 18 hours. But what distinguishes the apartment on Hellersdorfer Straße from the other 41,999: It was never modernized.

The municipal housing association Stadt und Land decided to preserve this part of the GDR architectural heritage. Tenants of Stadt und Land GmbH participated in furnishing the rooms with their own furniture, appliances, pictures, and books. This created not a reconstructed set design project, but an authentic document of its time.

Green Upholstered Sofa, Rafena TV, Yogurt Maker

Furniture and furnishings at Hellersdorfer Straße 179 are preserved true to the original: from the green upholstered sofa and the Rafena television in the living room to original GDR cooking utensils and food in the kitchen. Details like wallpaper, floor coverings, books, and records complete the picture of everyday life in the GDR. Even the most reproduced GDR artwork is not missing: a print of Walter Womacka’s painting “Am Strand” hangs on the wall.

The WBS-70 apartments were considered desirable at the time. The rent was 109 Marks, about ten percent of the average salary, while a color television, on the other hand, cost 4,500 Marks. These ratios alone tell a lot about the GDR’s economic system.

Visits Possible Only on Sundays

The museum is open exclusively on Sundays and offers guided tours where visitors can ask questions about the exhibited objects. Admission is free. So, anyone spending a Sunday afternoon in Hellersdorf will get one of Berlin’s most curious museums without paying a cent. However, it’s worth checking beforehand, as the WBS 70 Museum Apartment occasionally remains closed.