36 Years in a Freezer: An Unusual Museum Exhibit

A loaf of rye-wheat bread that had been kept frozen for 36 years has gone on display at Berlin’s Deutschlandmuseum.

The unusual story began on June 26, 1990. At the time, student Michael Hagedorn, who lived with his family in East Berlin, bought two loaves of bread instead of one.

With only five days remaining before the economic and social union agreement between West Germany and East Germany, the family feared rising prices, possible shortages, and long queues. They therefore placed the second loaf in the freezer.

Over time, the bread became a genuine historical relic, and the family decided not to throw it away but to donate it to a museum.

The loaf is now kept in a specially prepared freezer and shown to visitors. Michael Hagedorn donated it to the museum 36 years later.