Women's voices in the GDR: Exhibition in the Kulturpalast reveals history!

Women's voices in the GDR: Exhibition in the Kulturpalast reveals history!

The upcoming exhibition "Together we are unbearable", which deals with the independent women's movement of the late GDR, is presented by the Dresden Municipal Libraries and the Technical University of Dresden (TUD). The exhibition takes place in the central library in the Kulturpalast Dresden. It is open from July 21st to August 15th, 2025 and will celebrate its opening on July 24th, 2025 at 6 p.m.

Accompanying the exhibition, a podcast is offered as part of the TUD Lectures Plus, which deepens the contents of the exhibition and offers space for discussions. The opening format “You Ask We Explain” will be moderated by Lisa-Marie Eberharter. The final event on August 14, 2025 puts contemporary witnesses and actors in the women's movement in the spotlight and offers a platform to share their experiences and perspectives. The accompanying program includes conversations, films and student contributions that further enrich the theme of the exhibition. According to the TUD, the focus is on topics typical of women and the debate about democracy, freedom and gender equality. [tu-dresden.de]

Events as part of the exhibition

Other special events are planned as part of the exhibition. For example, the bus tour “Rebels on the Move” is on the program, which will take you through the history of the Dresden women's movement on July 28th and August 2nd, 2025 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The final event of the traveling exhibition will take place on August 14th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. These initiatives aim to increase awareness of the role of women in the history of the GDR and to discuss the social legacy to this day. [dresden.de]

The exhibition is part of a nationwide traveling exhibition project organized by the “Agency for Education – History, Politics and Media” association. is organized. Proposed as a place for reflection, the exhibition has not only a historical but also a current reference to the ongoing discussion about gender equality and women's rights in Germany.

Historical backgrounds

The role of the women's movement in the GDR and the emergence of the Democratic Women's Association of Germany (DFD) are central topics that are illuminated as part of the exhibition. The DFD, founded in 1947, was the only officially recognized women's organization in the Soviet Zone and developed from the anti-fascist women's committees. These committees aimed to include women in the construction of a new society after the Second World War and to promote their professional and political equality. However, from the 1950s onwards, the DFD no longer saw itself as a women's movement, but became a mass organization of the SED. [bpb.de]

The significance of the women's movement and the DFD is being critically questioned because it was increasingly perceived as an “agclamation organ” for the SED. This development led to a reduction of women's policy to pure family policy, which meant that discussions about gender roles and the emancipation of women became less explosive. Informal women's groups only emerged in the 1980s, when many women turned away from the DFD and sought alternative paths to political and social participation.

Overall, the exhibition “Together we are unbearable” is intended to encourage people to reflect on the historical challenges as well as the successes and failures of the women's movement in the GDR and to highlight the importance of these issues for today's society. Contact for media inquiries can be made via Stephan Wiegand from the Technical University of Dresden.