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Cultural heritage of the migration society

The heart of the museum is the unique DOMiD collection – Germany's largest collection of objects and testimonies about the diverse history of migration in Germany. In contrast to state archives, the collection has grown out of civil society.

It thus preserves the cultural heritage of migration in Germany - in a unique fund of everyday migrant testimonies that are not documented anywhere else in this abundance. 

The collection comprises over 150,000 objects: from documents and photographs to works of art, interviews, video recordings, everyday objects and much more. It documents the diverse history of the migration society in Germany since 1945.

It covers all forms of migration in Germany, including internal migration, such as from the DDR (German Democratic Republic) to the BRD (Federal Republic of Germany), as well as all regions of origin and motives for migration. The collection thus offers numerous points of reference on topics such as work, flight, expulsion and life in multiple places.

typewriter with English and Korean characters
In 1960, the first typewriter with English and Korean characters was produced in Korea. The model was called ‘Gong’. The paediatrician and radiologist Dr Sukil Lee used this typewriter to write all his correspondence for the recruitment of Korean nurses in the 1960s.
DOMiD-Archiv, Köln

We show how migration has inscribed itself in German history and how it shapes the way we all live together in society. In doing so, we retell the history of this country – with many voices.

(Post)migrant stories