COURAGE

connecting collections

Der digitale Reiseführer in den Alltag der DDR ist ein Projekt, das 2017 vom Berliner Medienverband 'Kooperative Berlin' in Zusammenarbeit mit der Bundesstiftung 'Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur' ins Leben gerufen wurde. Das Ziel des Projektes ist es eine digitale Führung durch die DDR zu erstellen, die Orte in der gesamten ehemaligen DDR einschließt. Das Projekt gibt Aufschluss über eine Vielzahl von Orten die mit tolerierten oder verbotenen Aktivitäten assoziiert wurden die das tägliche Leben im DDR-Regime beeinflussten. Die interaktive Plattform wurde mit dem Ziel gegründet Touristen die Möglichkeit zu geben etwas über Orte zu erfahren die weniger bekannt sind aber trotzdem einen wichtigen Einblick ins Alltagsleben und die Geschichte der DDR bieten.

The Aktionsgruppe Banat Ad-hoc Collection reflects the type of cultural opposition represented by a group of Romanian-German writers, who founded together the literary circle Aktionsgruppe Banat and developed a neo-Marxist criticism of “really existing socialism.” The collection comprises two types of items: (1) manuscripts and other materials confiscated by the Securitate from these writers, (2) documents issued by the Securitate concerning their cultural activity, which the communist regime perceived as dangerous.

‘Aldona Liobytė. Smiling Resistance' was the title of one of the first books about the writer, publicist and interpreter Aldona Liobytė. Being a very active person with a strong sense of humour, Liobytė initiated and led informal networks among the Lithuanian intelligentsia. She kept up social ties and correspondence with many artists, discussing and making suggestions about creative work and everyday life, as well as supporting the ideas of the younger generation of artists. Through her personal ties and networks, she expressed an outlook (usually in the form of humour, irony or sarcasm) that had a sense of the existence beyond official Soviet ideology. While she was forced to leave her job at the Literary Fiction publishers because of her un-Soviet attitudes, she continued to work in the cultural sphere, writing for children and the younger generation. Translating from other languages was also an important activity and a reliable source of income for Liobytė's family .
The collection consists of the papers of Aldona Liobytė, which are split between the Maironis Lithuanian Literature Museum and Liobytė’s daughter Gintarė Paškevičiūtė-Breivienė.

Through colour photographs and slides, the Alexandru Barnea private collection documents the demolitions imposed by the communist regime in the centre of Bucharest following the devastating earthquake of 1977, which served as a pretext for the destruction or mutilation of many historic monuments. The policy of demolishing the architectural and urbanistic heritage has been considered one of the most aberrant and arbitrary measures in the recent history of Romania.