The evening of May 13, 2025, marked a memorable moment in Paris’s cultural calendar. The exhibition The Berlin Wall. A World Divided opened at the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine to an overwhelming public response: over 2,000 visitors attended the opening night patiently queuing around the building to experience the powerful new exhibition.
Since then, the exhibition has continued to draw thousands of visitors, with multiple sold-out days and growing interest from the French public, the media, and the cultural sector. An enthusiastic reception that demonstrates the contemporary relevance that the history of the Berlin Wall still holds today.
Created by Musealia in collaboration with the Berlin Wall Foundation, the exhibition offers a moving and in-depth journey through the history and legacy of one of the 20th century’s most iconic symbols of division. The project is the result of an unprecedented collaboration involving more than 20 institutions and 40 lenders worldwide — including the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and the Allied Museum in Berlin — whose combined expertise and collections give shape to this exceptional exhibition.
Featuring more than 200 original objects, first-hand testimonies, and the latest research and documentation, the exhibition invites visitors to explore the deeply human stories behind the Wall. From the barbed wire used during the night of August 13, 1961, to everyday objects that illustrate life on both sides, The Berlin Wall. A World Divided puts original artifacts and personal experiences at the heart of historical reflection.
As a striking prelude to the exhibition, an original section of the Berlin Wall has been installed outside the museum in Paris, directly facing Place du Trocadéro. The installation is freely accessible to all, and part of the audio guide can be heard while admiring it through a QR code, as if you would inside the exhibition. This public installation brings one of the Cold War’s most powerful remnants into the everyday rhythm of the city — a tangible reminder of a not-so-distant past.
The exhibition is on view until September 28, 2025, at the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine.
