Living together in Goethestraße
Living Together on Goethe Street
The sound of the blacksmith’s hammer on the anvil, the rumbling of the delivery van, the cheers of children playing ball in the yard, and the aroma of breakfast from the bistro on the corner – all of these shape or have shaped life in the heart of the city. What makes neighborhoods vibrant, diverse microcosms, and what life stories lie behind the names on the doorbells, has been showcased since March 11, 2022, in the expanded exhibition collage at the garage museum, designed by architect Andreas Heller as an interactive display where the boundaries between museum and city blur.
Robustly grown and completely redesigned, the exhibition presents new snapshots of life stories, mementos, and anecdotes under the title “Living Together on Goethe Street” from four Goethe Streets in Bremerhaven, Magdeburg, Chicago, and Munich. Their residents provide insights into their coexistence in immigration societies and share what home means to them. The exhibition collage is barrier-free, available in two languages, and open to the public free of charge, and can be visited daily from 10 AM to 6 PM.
In our garage museum, we want to showcase great things on a small scale, explains museum director Dr. Simone Blaschka the concept: At the urban microcosm of Goethestraße, it becomes evident that city history is also migration history and how residents and various institutions, from vegetable trading to bistros and cultural projects, grow together into a richly intertwined neighborhood. The exhibition collage brings together originals of special significance and the stories of their owners. The relaunched exhibit gives special space to the residents of the nearly one-kilometer-long Goethestraße in Bremerhaven, from the youth involved in the project ‘Brückenwind für Leher Kinder e.V.’ to the founder of an intergenerational housing project and the descendants of the local shoemaker, blacksmith, veterinarian, and preparator. Since the opening of the garage museum in August 2021, we have received many new stories from the four Goethestraßen, reports Astrid Bormann, curator and museum educator at the German Emigration Center. These new perspectives on cohabitation in urban neighborhoods have allowed the collage to continue to grow and evolve. The exhibition was staged with great attention to detail by Andreas Heller Architects & Designers. The exhibition collage has been on display since March 11, 2022, in the garage museum of the German Emigration Center. Visitors can visit it every day from 10 AM to 6 PM for free.