In the organizer's words:

Berlin is the city of backyards: dense, diverse, lively. Who meets here? How are these spaces changing? And: What's going on in the courtyard?

Berlin courtyards have a lot to tell. At least since the industrial revolution in the 19th century, Berlin has been a magnet for people from other regions of Germany and from other countries. The history of the city has therefore always been a history of migration.

Due to enormous population growth, spatial expansion and structural densification, Berlin is characterized by courtyards like no other city - whether as residential courtyards, schoolyards, commercial courtyards, studio courtyards, courtyard gardens or courtyard restaurants. Their history is as varied as the people who live in them. With the special exhibition "Berlin Courtyards" on the 3rd floor of the Museum Ephraim-Palais, the Stadtmuseum Berlin invites you to explore these urban spaces between past and present.

The courtyards are exemplary of urban coexistence with all its contradictions. They show how people shape space. And they encourage us to take a closer look: What can courtyards tell us about Berlin? What about ourselves? In short: What's going on in the courtyard?

Graphics, photography and history

The special atmosphere of Berlin's courtyards has always inspired graphic artists, illustrators and photographers to create images. In the exhibition, highlights from the museum collection meet the artistic works of urban researchers Duygu Örs and Sinthujan Varatharajah, which were created especially for "Berliner Höfe". Using sounds and light, they deal with different sensory impressions from backyards that Örs and Varatharajah encountered in Wedding.

In addition, the junior curators from the Refik Veseli School in Kreuzberg and their mentor Yella Hoepfner present their own spaces in the permanent exhibition "BerlinZEIT" on the first and second floors of the museum. Their individual stories interact with objects from the collection.

Price information:

7 euros (single ticket) | 15 euros (combined ticket*) | Free admission (under 18s or with concession * Applies to our three museums in the Nikolai Quarter (Museum Nikolaikirche, Museum Ephraim-Palais, Museum Knoblauchhaus) on two consecutive days.