Visiting the Wende Museum of the Cold War in Culver City, CA
Republican Atheists’ President Lauren Ell visited the Wende Museum of the Cold War in Culver City, CA on May 6, 2019 for the first time to learn more about the Cold War era.
The museum features a collection of items from communist countries during the Cold War, such as dishware, furniture, electronics, children’s toys, sculptures, etc. The main room of the museum contains a temporary exhibit. The exhibit on display featured a collection of artwork and posters mainly from Eastern Germany during the early ’90s.
The back of the museum contained a beautiful courtyard and garden with shade areas and chairs. There was a car on display that was built in East Germany in 1977, known as the Wartburg 1000 – 353. Information about the car noted that BMW purchased the factory in 1904, then the Soviets took control of the factory in 1956. Eastern Germany residents had to wait 14 years on average to receive the car. Eastern Germany attempted to sell the car in foreign markets, but there was little interest in purchasing a vehicle from a repressive state.
This was the second communist-themed museum Ell has been to. The first museum was the Museum of Communism in winter 2018 located in Prague, Czech Republic. The museum in Prague focused more on what happened in Czechoslovakia during communism, such as political change, social manipulation and events. The Wende Museum did not go into detail about what specifically happened under communism, but simply displayed items from the Cold War era.
Note from Lauren Ell..
“I am an avid critic of communism and think it is important that Americans are more exposed to what life was and still is like under communist regimes. I hope to see more discussion about communism in the US public education system, and to see more museums about communism that educates the public about the repressive communist systems people are still living under to this day.”
The Wende Museum currently has free admission and is open Thursday-Sunday. Learn more about the museum and exact opening hours here.
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