What’s that for? A Harmonium for Wolf Biermann

On 13 November 1976, the songwriter Wolf Biermann took the stage in the sold-out Cologne sports arena before more than 8,000 spectators. After 11 years of a performance ban in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), he gave his first “real” concert – with far-reaching consequences. On the stage stood a harmonium. This very instrument welcomes visitors in the prologue to the DHM exhibition “Wolf Biermann. A Poet and a Songwriter in Germany” and is an eyecatcher for young and old. Verena Günther and Dr Sarah Sporys from the Deutsches Historisches Museum’s department of Education and Communication take a look at the interesting history of the instrument and its importance for developing special programmes for children in the museum.