Landesarchiv Berlin
Eichborndamm 115 - 121
13403 Berlin – Reinickendorf
ACCESSIBILITY
Accessible to wheelchairs
WC accessible to wheelchairs
partially wheelchair accessible elevator
Parking for people with disabilities
Parking available
Regular opening hours
Mon. 10am–5pmTue. 10am–5pmWed. 10am–5pmThu. 10am–5pmFri. 10am–5pmSat. closedSun. closed
ADMISSION PRICE
Free admission
Landesarchiv Berlin
17.03.–26.05.2023
Opening
16.03.2023 5pm
So close and yet so far
Heinrich Bier, Gert Schütz, Horst Siegmann

More than any other built structure in Berlin, the Wall symbolizes violent intervention in human relationships, but also the will to overcome distance in order to (re)establish and maintain closeness – to stay in touch. The Wall was the ultimate expression of a system geared toward keeping things distant and apart: it was developed in subtle steps and perfected over decades to divide people and make contact more difficult; to control them. From one day to the next, the Berlin Wall separated entire families, friends, and lovers; it split a vibrant metropolis into two halves cut off from one another.

Generations of photographers whose work is part of the Landesarchiv Berlin have explored the core concern of everything human, which is to remain close to one another, to touch one another. Their photographs depict suffering and helplessness, as well as absurd moments of growing accustomed to the abnormal.