Whether at small, trendy ice cream shops, large ice cream parlors, or just on the go. What could be better than meeting up with friends or family for an ice cream?
In the 1960s, East Berliners and visitors to the city were drawn to the then-newly built area on Karl-Marx-Allee to enjoy the summer. Places like the Mokka-Milch-Eisbar, Cafe Moskau, and the Kino International embodied a modern, urban lifestyle thanks to their contemporary architecture. Here, people gathered in spacious cafés and restaurants featuring a modern, minimalist design.
Christa Petroff-Bohne’s minimalist, conical, or cylindrical iced coffee cups were also well-suited to this architecture. She studied and taught at the Academy of Art Berlin-Weißensee, where she helped establish the “Visual Design” program and later headed the ceramics department. In addition to the iced coffee cups shown here, she designed numerous other stainless steel objects for VEB Auer Besteck- und Silberwaren (ABS), which were used in the restaurants and cafes along Karl-Marx-Allee.
A large collection from the ABS stainless steel catering series is on display in our permanent exhibition. The iced coffee cups are currently featured in the special exhibition “Designing for Berlin. Design from the Academy of Art Berlin-Weißensee”.
And for those who’d like to celebrate the Berlin summer with us: We cordially invite you to the museum starting at 4 p.m. on June 21, 2026, for the Fête de la Musique. Enjoy music by the Original Oberkreuzberg Nose Flute Orchestra and free admission to our exhibitions.
