Ukrainian and Russian acrobatics, Arabic zithers and oboes, Königsberger Klopse and vegan kibbeh. The Open House event (20.06.2026 10–19h) at the Documentation Centre is emphatically multicultural. It also touches on some deep questions: why do people flee their homes? And how are historical and contemporary refugee experiences connected? The all-day program – held annually at the Kreuzberg institution – comprises workshops, performances, talks and tours all loosely based around the topics of displacement, expulsion and reconciliation. Standout sessions of the day include a reading of the biography of Annemarie Ackermann, one of the first women in the German Bundestag (reading and discussion from 12h30), and the drop-in “How to Draw Anything” session, where you can learn to create drawings from simple shapes. Meanwhile, architecture admirers will want to join the tour from Ticket B of the Documentation Centre’s home: the modernist Deutschlandhaus, built 1926–1931 (tours at 13h30, 14h30). Musical sidebars come from the likes of Hassan Elmalik, who blends Sudanese tradition with the bluesy and avant-garde (performances at 11h & 13h). And to occupy youngsters, there is a memory game featuring illustrations of people experiencing displacement by artist Victoria Cichoń, as well as a scavenger hunt (both run all day). Finally, for refreshments and fuel make sure you try the intercultural dishes by Kreuzberger Himmel, who will be serving up favorites associated with refugee communities, from kebabs to sambusak. You can check out the full program here.
Text: Benji Haughton / Photos: Gröteke, Rory Grubb, Philip Ratuschny
Documentation Centre for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation, Stresemannstr.90, 10963 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
Open House (20.06.2026 10–19h) – entry is free of charge.
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