For a hands-on experience of daily life in the Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR, usually called GDR—German Democratic Republic—in English), nothing beats this museum by the River Spree. Laid out like a prefab housing estate, 17 themed rooms transport you back to the former East Germany, which existed from 1949 until 1990. Everything on display can be touched: Answer the phone in the Soviet-era living room, rummage through closets, or rev the engine of a Trabant. From typical food brands to the famous FDJ (Freie Deutsche Jugend, or Free German Youth) shirts, Erika typewriters to table football, the museum takes a fond look at everyday lives of ordinary East Germans. There’s even a dedicated exhibition on the classlessness and freedom of Freikörperkultur (FKK), or nudism, in the DDR. There’s a lot of Ostalgia here, and the chilling workings of the DDR’s police-state aren’t overly emphasized.