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 multi-media and interactive city rally leads via app to central locations of the environmental movement of the GDR in Berlin and makes historical knowledge tangible. Various materials and sources are embedded in the city rally and create a variety of stations. For example, interviews with contemporary witnesses, photos and audio material make various historical sites of the rally in Berlin, such as the Zion Church, a multi-media experience. Interactive and playful components, such as the completion of small tasks or quiz questions, actively involve users in the rally. The format of the multi-media city rally addresses a broad public as well as specifically younger people and sensitizes them to the topic of the environment and protest in the GDR. In addition, the low-threshold learning offer promotes the transfer of knowledge to school and extracurricular educational work. The format of the app means that the city rally can be used at any time and flexibly for both individuals and groups. The app can be used in both German and English and thus reach a broad and international audience. The app is free of charge for users. In addition, information on further literature, films, documentaries, podcasts and much more is integrated. and various formats of science communication are implemented, which make the developed content accessible to a broad audience regardless of location, e.g. via social media content and (specialist) articles. The launch of the app is planned for spring 2026.

As the first independent institute for environmental science in the new federal states, UfU has a very special connection to the environmental movement in the GDR. It was initiated by East German scientists in November 1989 and officially founded in Berlin on March 10, 1990. The idea for the project arose from the close links between the history of the association and the history of the environmental movement in the GDR and its impact on today’s environmental movement in the new federal states.