Throughout the Cold War, espionage was part of everyday life in both East and West Berlin, with German spies playing a crucial part of operations on both sides. The International Spy Museum (SPY) and the Pritzker Military Museum & Library (PMML) invite you to explore the secret spy world of this city at the intersection of the Eastern and Western blocs.
The construction of the wall in 1961 changed the political situation and the environment for espionage—the invisible front was now concrete. But the fundamentals had not changed: Berlin was and would remain the capital of spies until the fall of the Berlin Wall. Much of the history of intelligence work in Berlin is still considered top secret and is hidden in classified archives, but historian Bernd von Kostka, curator at the Allied Museum in Berlin, has brought the hidden history to light in Capital of Spies: Intelligence Agencies in Berlin During the Cold War. PMML Chief Military Historian Dr. Matt Muehlbauer and Dr. Alexis Albion, Spy Museum Curator of Special Projects, will join von Kostka to discuss the spectacular successes and failures of the various secret services in Berlin, and what ongoing secrets he wishes he could find out.
Support for this program has been provided by a generous grant from the Pritzker Military Foundation, on behalf of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library.
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