Ring Anna’s Doorbell – 100 Years of Queer Life in Lichtenberg
Duration: August 27, 2026, through May 30, 2027
Starting August 27, 2026, the Museum Lichtenberg will present the special exhibition “Klingel bei Anna – 100 Years of Queer Life in Lichtenberg.” For the first time, a comprehensive exhibition is dedicated to the history and present of queer life in the district. It sheds light on previously little-known biographies, places, and communities and will be on view through the end of May 2027.
Lichtenberg has rarely been associated with queer communities. While Berlin is often perceived as the “rainbow capital,” the district is frequently left out of narratives about queer history and the present. In fact, numerous traces of queer life can be found in Lichtenberg—from the district’s founding in 1920 through the Weimar Republic, the Nazi era, and the GDR, right up to the present day.
The exhibition was curated by Neo Seefried and Karl-Heinz Steinle and is based on a research project initiated by the district’s Queer Affairs Officer, Sabine Pöhl. The focus is on the home as a (safe) space for queer life. Through biographies, social circles, places, communities, and events, the exhibition highlights the diversity of queer lived experiences in Lichtenberg. Historical objects and photographs are juxtaposed with contemporary artistic works. Special emphasis is placed on the newly cataloged estate of Anna B. Wein, a queer figure from the GDR, which offers unique insights into the lived experiences of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.
Evening events, guided tours, and workshops will be held in conjunction with the exhibition.
You’ll find the exhibition in the Zillesaal on the first floor.
If you’d like more information about the accompanying program “Klingel bei …?”, click the “Program” arrow in the lower right corner.
All events related to the exhibition are identified as such.
Jürgen Wittdorf and Andreas Fux – Prints and Photographs (1960–1990)
Duration: September 4, 2026, through January 24, 2027
The museum presents artistic perspectives on the theme of queer life in Lichtenberg. The exhibition is curated by Stephan Koal, director of the Kunstverein Ost – KVOST (https://kvost.de/), who has earned an outstanding reputation in this field. On display are works by two artists with ties to Lichtenberg: Jürgen Wittdorf (1932–2018) captured the attention of a broad audience early on with his clear and remarkably accessible graphic works—drawings and linocuts. Andreas Fux (*1964) is among the photographers who, in the 1980s, captured the contrast between lived reality and the aspirations of a young GDR generation through their photography. The presentation takes place in conjunction with the special exhibition “Klingel bei Anna – 100 Years of Queer Life in Lichtenberg” and runs through January 24, 2027.
The exhibition will open at 6 p.m. on September 4, 26, as part of the Long Night of Images.
“… back there again and again.” German colonial biographies from Lichtenberg
Duration: April 30 through August 30, 2026
This workshop exhibition presents initial research findings on the individual connections between people from Lichtenberg and German colonialism. Their life stories sometimes took them to Africa, Oceania, and Asia—places that, in retrospect, have at times been romanticized as destinations of longing.
Although the participation of people from different social classes in colonial activities was not a mass phenomenon, it does demonstrate the everyday involvement of society as a whole in colonial structures, a reality present in many families.