On the trail of the GDR environmental movement. A multimedia city rally in Berlin on the history of the environmental movement in the GDR
A multimedia city trail uses the Actionbound app to guide participants to key sites of the GDR environmental movement in Berlin. Various materials and sources are integrated into the city trail, adding variety to the ten stops. For example, photos and interviews with eyewitnesses bring historical sites in Prenzlauer Berg to life. These include, for instance, the Zionskirche and the Berlin Environmental Library. An interactive quiz also actively engages users in the rally.
The city trail is free, lasts approximately 1.5 hours, and takes participants on a 2.5-kilometer route through Prenzlauer Berg. The exact route can be found on this flyer. To participate in the city trail, you’ll need the Actionbound app, which can be downloaded here. After downloading, you can start the city trail by scanning a QR code in Actionbound, which is available on this page and in the flyer.
As part of the project, interviews were conducted with contemporary witnesses Rosemarie Benndorf and Ralf-Uwe Beck.
The city trail aims to reach the general public, with a particular focus on younger people, and to raise awareness about environmental issues and protest movements in the GDR. In addition, the app’s accessible learning resources facilitate the transfer of knowledge into both school-based and extracurricular educational activities. Thanks to the app’s format, the city trail can be accessed at any time and is flexible enough to be used by both individuals and groups. The app is available in both German and English, thereby reaching a broad and international audience. The app is free for users. Furthermore, references to further reading, films, and documentaries are integrated, and various formats of science communication are implemented to make the developed content accessible to a wide audience regardless of location, e.g., via social media content and (specialized) articles. The app is scheduled to launch in June 2026.
As the first independent institute for environmental science in the new federal states, the UfU has a very special connection to the environmental movement in the GDR. It was initiated by East German scientists as early as November 1989 and officially founded in Berlin on March 10, 1990. The project idea emerged from the close intertwining of the association’s history with the history of the environmental movement in the GDR and its impact on today’s environmental movement in the new federal states.
Duration
01/2025 – 06/2026
Funded by
Funds from the Federal Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship
Contact
Niklas Müller
Scan the QR code to access the digital city trail.