Wolf Biermann. Ein Lyriker und Liedermacher in Deutschland

In the organizer's words:

It is no exaggeration to say that Wolf Biermann is the best-known singer-songwriter in Germany, both East and West. His expulsion from the GDR in 1976 was a political turning point and an admission of great helplessness on the part of the SED party leadership. Unlike lesser-known artists, Biermann had become too popular to be imprisoned and was too unpredictable to be allowed to perform in public.

Many of his songs, ballads and poems have outlived the actual occasion of their creation. "Warte nicht auf bessre Zeiten", "Ermutigung" and "Ballade vom prußischen Ikarus" have become classics.

The exhibition's approach to the life and work of Wolf Biermann is a cultural-historical one. The choice results from the special position that culture occupied in the GDR. Since the end of the Second World War, the invocation of the cultural nation, initially in connection with Weimar Classicism, later as a "socialist cultural nation" (Erich Honecker), was part of the state's self-image. In a state without free media, the cultural sector represented the public sphere. This gave art visibility and recognition, but also made it the object of state control and coercion.

Public guided tours: 3 euros, 60 minutes

German: Tue 16h, Thu 16h+18h, Fri 13h, Sat 11h+13h, Sun 11h

English: Mon 15h, Fri 15h

Price information:

One-way ticket exhibition 7 € | reduced 3,50 € | up to 18 years free || House ticket (to visit all exhibitions) 10 € | reduced 5 € | up to 18 years free