The Society
The Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft e.V., founded in November 1990 by the civil rights’ movement Neues Forum (New Forum), documents and presents the history and experiences of opposition and resistance in the Soviet-Occupied Zone/GDR. The Society runs the GDR Opposition Archive and issues publications on the history of the opposition. It pursues political educational work with exhibitions, series of events and seminars.
The Website
The website www.revolution89.de is published by the Robert Havemann Society. It accompanies the open-air exhibition “Revolution and the Fall of the Wall” in Berlin-Lichtenberg, which was opened on 15 June 2016. The online material is constantly updated and expanded.
Donations
The Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft e.V. is in need of assistance. Please support our work with a tax-deductible donation to the account: Berliner Volksbank • IBAN: DE17 1009 0000 5762 9550 00 • BIC: BEVODEBB •
For More
on the Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft e.V. and its diverse activities, see www.havemann-gesellschaft.de
GDR Opposition Archive
The archive contains materials on individuals and groups from 1945 onwards, for instance on anti-communist resistance, ecclesiastical or atheist critics of the system as well as human rights, peace, women’s and environmental groups. The documentation includes secret messages, flyers, samizdat publications by the GDR opposition and documents of the civil rights movements and the new parties of 1989/90. As well as 700 linear meters of written material, there are 180,000 photos and 1,600 posters. In addition, there are extensive collections of films, audio recordings, banners and stickers. Eye witness accounts, documentation on repression in the GDR, a reference library and press documentation supplement the archive materials.
To the GDR Opposition Archive
Contributions to our collection
We welcome photos, films, notes or other written documents (flyers, calls, letters, petitions, appeals ...), banners, posters and audio documents or objects of interest to the GDR Opposition Archive. We collect materials documenting acts of resistance or critical spirit against the communist dictatorship or demonstrating alternative visions of life in the GDR. We are also looking for all types of documentation of state repression: court records, sentences, interrogation records, expropriation documents, prohibition from practising a profession, expatriation, exmatriculation, inter alia. www.havemann-gesellschaft.de
Other projects:
Youth opposition in the Soviet-Occupied Zone/GDR
A multimedia website and a DVD present important events from the history of resistance with examples of young people’s activities. Through photos, documents, films and interviews, visitors can experience how young people came into conflict with the East German dictatorship from 1946 to 1989. Introductory texts, a timeline, a glossary, biographies and teaching materials are also featured. www.jugendopposition.de
Revolution stelae
The Robert Havemann Society has erected memorial stelae providing information on 18 sites of the revolution in Berlin. These stelae mark locations in the East and West of Berlin that are closely linked to the Peaceful Revolution: meeting points of opposition groups, sites of confrontation with the state power and buildings in which democratic history was written. They also recall the role of West Berlin and the euphoria about the fortunate course of the first successful German revolution. The focus is on the protagonists at the time who, through their courageous and resolute action, ultimately toppled the GDR regime and shaped their country’s transition to democracy. The revolution stelae are complemented by others to commemorate the Berlin Wall, marking points of interest along the former inner-German border. Click here to download a map (2 MB).
The memorial stelae with information on the Peaceful Revolution of 1989/90 in Berlin are a project of the Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft e.V. within the framework of the German government’s National Memorial Sites Concept. The project was funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, on the basis of a resolution passed by the German Bundestag, as well as by the Berlin Lottery Foundation.
