Museum des Kapitalismus

On the ground floor of the new building at Köpenicker Straße 172 there is a museum that does not want to be a museum in the usual sense. The Museum des Kapitalismus deals with the economic system we live in, and in a way that lets you in without prior knowledge. It is run by the Verein für Bildung und Partizipation e.V. and organised by the people who make it.

The project started in 2014 in Neukölln, at first with temporary exhibitions. Since February 2018 there has been a permanent exhibition, in Kreuzberg. Five rooms deal with needs and exclusion, mechanisms, crises, colonialism and the question of what might lie beyond capitalism. Many exhibits are built to be touched, because the museum aims at discussion rather than instruction.

A museum from below

Its self-understanding is explicitly political. Historically, the association argues, museums told the history of those in power, one-sidedly and with a set message. The Museum des Kapitalismus counters with open interpretation: exhibits that offer a thesis instead of proclaiming it. Alongside the permanent exhibition there are special exhibitions, workshops, readings and event series. In 2026 the special exhibition „Zur Wohnungsfrage“ was on the programme, on historical and current struggles over housing. A theme that suggests itself in a building owned by a housing co-operative.

The room is open to others too

The space measures around 148 square metres, of which about 120 are usable, with low-barrier access, a projector, a sound system, a kitchenette and around 40 chairs. It can be hired for seminars, talks, readings, film screenings or theatre. The museum grades the prices in three steps: free for non-commercial political projects, a standard rate, and a solidarity rate that helps finance the free use by others. Enquiries go through the museum’s website.

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