Berlin things

Countless things were invented, manufactured or used by the people of Berlin. Whether it's the construction kit, gold ruby glass or a bronze horse's head: each one has an exciting story behind it.

17 Articles on the topic Berlin things

Wooden double-decker bus on BVG line 14 to Weißensee, Rennbahnstraße, with advertising for the cigarette brand ‘Salem’, Berlin around 1930.
© Stadtmuseum Berlin

Object of the Month

New at the Museum Ephraim-Palais: Monthly changing objects from our collections invite you to take a look for free.

Article, 1 min Lesezeit

Uniforms for a modern palace

The GDR Fashion Institute was commissioned to design uniforms for the different departments for the Palace of the Republic.

Short-Story, 2 min Lesezeit

The Kaiserpanorama

A century before 3D televisions and virtual reality appeared on the scene, a Berlin invention offered people an immersive experience of distant places and current events at affordable prices.

Article, 5 min Lesezeit

Anet-Commode

The Anet chest of drawers is part of the Stadtmuseum Berlin’s “Reichsbank furniture” collection. But how did this piece of French furniture end up at the Märkisches Museum, which specialises in the history of Berlin and Brandenburg? In this essay, we will provide insight into ongoing provenance research.

Article, 11 min Lesezeit

The horse’s head on the Quadriga

This horse’s head is all that remains of the original Quadriga, the sculpture that sits atop the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. But why did sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadow (1764-1850) design the Quadriga in the first place? And what role did Napoleon play in it?

Article, 15 min Lesezeit

The Märkisches Museum’s “Special Silver Inventory”

Nearly five hundred silver pieces, including spoons, charm bracelets, children’s rattles and other objects, are stored in a metal cabinet in the Stadtmuseum Berlin’s collection depot. The objects originate from compulsory levies placed on Jewish people from 1939 onwards, and provide insight into a project that the Stadtmuseum Berlin has been carrying out since 1996 to clarify the provenance of each individual object.

Article, 9 min Lesezeit

The “Reichsbank Furniture”

They came to the Märkisches Museum as a transfer from the Ministry of Finance of the GDR in the 1950s: 47 French antiques from the 18th and 19th centuries. What does French furniture have to do with Berlin's urban history? A contribution from provenance research.

Article, 3 min Lesezeit