Description [EN]
In the middle of the Haus Schwarzenberg building complex at Rosenthaler Straße 39 in Berlin-Mitte, the Museum Blindenwerkstatt Otto Weidt commemorates the historic production site and is part of the Stiftung Gedenkstätte Deutscher Widerstand.
The workshop began in 1939, when the almost blind upholsterer and decorator Otto Weidt, together with a partner, created employment opportunities for blind and visually or hearing-impaired people. Initially located in Kreuzberg, production moved in 1940 to Rosenthaler Straße, where it occupied an entire floor of a side wing. In the Blindenwerkstatt, disabled Jewish employees in particular made brooms and brushes; the business also supplied the Wehrmacht and was therefore considered important to the war effort. In the course of Nazi persecution many employees were arrested during the so-called “Fabrikaktion” in 1943 and later deported to extermination camps.
Otto Weidt hid several people, including a family of four and Alice Licht with her parents, in rooms of the workshop and at other locations; some hiding places were betrayed in 1943, resulting in relatives being deported and murdered, while others survived. After Weidt’s death the workshop was initially continued and was finally dissolved in 1952.
The initiative for and establishment of the museum were driven in part by the commitment of survivors; an initial exhibition created in 1999 by students developed into today’s memorial and educational site. The permanent exhibition opened in 2006 and was redesigned in 2023. From 2008 to 2017 the Gedenkstätte Stille Helden was housed here before later reopening in the Bendlerblock. The house is located in the immediate vicinity of the Anne Frank Zentrum.
The institution documents the history of the Blindenwerkstatt, the persecution of its employees and the rescue efforts. Educational formats include guided tours, workshops and seminars; the museum provides accessible services and a tactile floor guidance system for blind visitors.