Beyond the Tourists' Berlin: For instructors

Berlin, as the capital of reunited Germany, is a vibrant, international, and diverse space. It has the largest Turkish-German population, a large settlement of refugees, and combines Soviet-styled remnants of the former East Germany alongside overt expressions of globalization and capitalism. It is overwhelmingly a young city and popular location—apartment prices in the trendiest areas are increasingly expensive. At the fringes are the Berlin inhabitants who have lived there for their entire lives. After World War II, they spent days on Alexander Square removing mortar from bombed bricks to rebuild their homes. Today, as elderly residents of the city, they are often ignored and pushed to the fringes in an increasingly decontextualized society. The group of seniors involved in this project meet daily at their senior center Herbstlaube in the trendiest neighborhood in Berlin. As their rent prices and living expenses continue to climb and space becomes limited due to increasing gentrification of the urban landscape, they continually face the real possibility of closing. If their center were to close, the friendships, daily outlets, fitness and mental health training for many would end. It is important for people to be aware that senior citizens exist in Berlin, to know their stories of rebuilding the capital after the war, and to know their struggles in a divided Germany. It is important to preserve the memories of these senior citizens for posterity and to increase their visibility to combat the threats of closure due to financial instability. This project highlights the members of the senior center Herbstlaube with a goal of exposing more learners of German to the diversity of experiences that exist in Germany's capital. The seniors who meet at Herbstlaube run a museum that depicts life in their neighborhood around 1900. They are intimately familiar with the layout, history, and artifacts found in the museum from their own childhoods. The project is divided into three sections: (1) Wo? Prenzlauer Berg, (2) Was? Das Museum, and (3) Wer? Die Senioren. The first section exposes students to the location of the museum and senior center. The second section gives a virtual tour of the museum as an example of life around 1900 in one neighborhood of Prenzlauer Berg. The third section includes interviews from the seniors who meet at Herbstlaube and run tours of the museum. Any errors / typos / mislinks can be reported to the project team via email.

Instructors can learn more about the activities at the senior center and museum through their website: ​http://www.mitundfuereinander.de/

If you use any of this material in your classroom, we kindly ask that you make a donation to the senior center and museum:

Miteinander Füreinander Selbsthilfebegegnungsstätten e.V.
Bank für Sozialwirtschaft
Konto-Nr. 3351600 / BLZ 100 20 500
IBAN: DE 1110 0205 0000 0335 1600
BIC: BFSWDE33BER