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Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk liest aus »Freiheitsschock«
Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk reads from “Freedom Shock”
Event by: DDR Museum
Location: Berlin Dungeon, Spandauer Straße 2, Berlin - Mitte
About event
As part of the Berlin Freedom Week from November 8th to 15th, 2025, the DDR Museum invites you to a special evening with the historian and journalist Dr. Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk. The author reads from his book "Freedom Shock" and faces the debate about East Germany's past, present and future.
Kowalczuk is one of the most influential voices in the discourse about German-German history. His basic thesis: With the peaceful revolution in 1989 and the subsequent reunification, East German society experienced a real "freedom shock" - a profound change that continues to have an impact today.
In his book he analyzes not only the successes of unity, but also the dark sides of the unification process. He criticizes the persistence in victim roles as well as West German clichés about the East - and pleads for more personal responsibility, historical awareness and the courage to be democratic.
Experience a committed historian who clearly names the dictatorship of the GDR, but also does not ignore the challenges of the present. Kowalczuk speaks plainly - about identity, freedom and the question of how we can shape the future together today.
For everyone who is interested in history, the present and democratic coexistence - regardless of age, gender or origin.
Admission is free.
Kowalczuk is one of the most influential voices in the discourse about German-German history. His basic thesis: With the peaceful revolution in 1989 and the subsequent reunification, East German society experienced a real "freedom shock" - a profound change that continues to have an impact today.
In his book he analyzes not only the successes of unity, but also the dark sides of the unification process. He criticizes the persistence in victim roles as well as West German clichés about the East - and pleads for more personal responsibility, historical awareness and the courage to be democratic.
Experience a committed historian who clearly names the dictatorship of the GDR, but also does not ignore the challenges of the present. Kowalczuk speaks plainly - about identity, freedom and the question of how we can shape the future together today.
For everyone who is interested in history, the present and democratic coexistence - regardless of age, gender or origin.
Admission is free.