(c) by Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund. All rights reserved.
Description [EN]
Historical Site
The Schifflersgrund Border Museum is a moving historical site, a modern museum, and a vibrant learning location. For over 30 years, it has authentically and forward-looking communicated the history of the German division with room for memories and opportunities for dialogue.
To this day, Schifflersgrund stands as a unique testament to the history of Germany´s division. It offers an impressive yet distressing view of the former barriers. Here is the longest remaining section of the former inner-German border and the Iron Curtain in Europe. The preserved border section consists of a 550-meter-long border fence, the patrol path, and a watchtower. Additionally, the memorial site includes the place where Heinz-Josef Große was killed, who was shot by two East German border guards during an escape attempt in 1982.
Permanent Exhibition
The permanent exhibition, opened in 2024, narrates the causes of the division and the expansion of the GDR´s border barriers during the Cold War, about daily life on both sides of the border, and their overcoming and aftermath. 260 images, 110 historical documents, and 98 original objects, as well as ten media stations with over 150 eyewitness videos, convey the history of the border in a vivid, tangible, and modern way, which divided not only Germany but all of Europe for four decades.
Museum and Place of Learning
Since its founding in 1991, the Schifflersgrund Border Museum sees itself as a historical learning location for promoting democracy. The border relics in the outdoor area exemplarily show how the equally insidious and perfected GDR border regime under the SED dictatorship functioned.
The new permanent exhibition conveys the causes of Germany´s division. It tells about the impact of border sealing on people in the East and West. Narratives from eyewitnesses create a real-life connection.
With the educational offerings, the history of the German dictatorship and division after 1945 is conveyed in an illustrative and comprehensible way, particularly to young visitors. They are encouraged to think critically and reflect further. The program is directed at all age groups and learning levels and can be individually tailored to the needs of each visitor group.
Services
Families with children
Spurensuche am Wegesrand (digitales Ergänzungsangebot für Kinder und Familien am TOP-Grenzwanderweg Schifflersgrund
Car parking
Ja
Bus parking
Ja
Connection public transport
Ja
Lockers
Ja
WiFi
Ja
Publicly accessible library / archive / study rooms
auf Anfrage
Museumsshop
Ja
Event room / lecture rooms (rentable)
auf Anfrage
Note regarding pets (if necessary, dog care on the spot)
nur im Außengelände
Guided tours and group offers
max. 30 Personen pro Führung, nur nach Voranmeldung
Accessibility
Access with ramp
No
Door width (in cm)
100
Guidance system for visually impaired people, Tactile / acoustic map
No
Entrance soil indicators
No
Marking of step edges
No
Access stairless
No
Access with ramp
No
Elevator with tactile font / announcement
No
Disabled toilet
Yes
Labeling in pictograms
No
Inscription in braille
Yes
Acoustically accessible exhibition objects
Yes
Tactile accessible exhibition objects
Yes
Print medium in braille inscription / large print
Yes
Tactile / audio tours
No
Guided tours in sign language
No
Tactile flooring system
No
Barrier-free Audioguides
No
Educational programs for visitors with learning difficulties
Yes