New exhibition at Radebeul's Kultur-Bahnhof

The interesting exhibition "Leseland DDR" can be seen in the Radebeul Kultur-Bahnhof until 2 April 2023. 20 exhibition panels with texts and original pictures invite you to travel back in time to a very special chapter in GDR history.

"A country whose authorities believed in the power of the written word and feared it at the same time. Where reading and writing were promoted at great expense, while politically undesirable literature was only accessible in libraries with a poison licence and mail and travellers from the West were searched for printed material. Leseland DDR tells of the stubbornness of people who did not want to be told what to read, who queued up for rare books and secretly pocketed many a coveted title from West German publishers at the Leipzig Book Fair. The panels in the exhibition also introduce visitors to the world of crime novels, fairy tales and science fiction, they report on literature from the Soviet Union, the writers of socialist realism and they offer a glimpse into old cookery books. The exhibition highlights the cross-border power of German-German writer contacts, radio and television, but also the books that made travelling the world beyond the country's walls possible. The journey through time ends with the writers of the Peaceful Revolution and the GDR as a theme in contemporary literature." (Federal Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship)

The exhibition is aimed at all generations and encourages people to re-read or rediscover familiar books from back then. The Cultural Office of the City of Radebeul and the Radebeul Library are offering an interesting supporting programme to accompany the exhibition:

• For school classes, there is an offer for the children's literature film adaptations: "The School Ghost" and "Alfons Zitterbacke".
• A reading session in the Radebeul-Ost library with books by Elizabeth Shaw, the most famous children's book author in the GDR, and popular children's stories such as "Vom Jörg der Zahnweh hatte" and "Bei der Feuerwehr wird der Kaffee kalt".
  On 2.3, 9.3, 16.3 and 23.3.2023 respectively.
• Reading on 31 March 2023, 7 p.m. with the writer Lutz Rathenow. The author and poet was a GDR dissident and looks back on a multifaceted and exciting life in his latest book.

An exhibition of GDR literature for adults and children will be on display in the Radebeul-Ost library in keeping with the theme.

"Leseland DDR" is an exhibition organised by the Federal Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship by Stefan Wolle, scientific director of the Berlin DDR Museum and one of the best experts on East German contemporary history since 1945.