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Wende Museum

Museum
In Culver City, California
5.1 mi from Route 66

The Wende Museum, in Culver City, near Santa Monica, CA, about 4.3 miles off the old road, works as a museum, an archive and a cultural center. Founded in 2002, it collects and shows the history and everyday objects of late 20th-century dissent, civic life and the fight for human rights. For Route 66 travelers with an interest in modern history, it is a thoughtful detour near the end of the drive.

What is Wende Museum?

The Wende is three things under one roof: a museum, an archive and a place for community programs. Its subject is how ordinary people pushed back against those in power in the late 1900s. Among its subjects are Poland's Solidarity movement and the lives and activism of Jews in the Soviet Union, along with other underground networks and resistance groups.

The museum takes its name from Die Wende, the Peaceful Revolution. Its exhibitions and public events link history and art with wellness and community life, so a visit can feel as current as it is historical.

History of Wende Museum

The museum was founded in 2002 to preserve these materials and to give the public access to them, rather than letting them scatter.

Visiting Wende Museum: tips

Plan on a detour of about 4.3 miles from the old road. Allow about an hour for the galleries.

Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, a large hillside park, is about 1.6 miles away and makes a good place to stretch your legs afterward. The Museum of Jurassic Technology and the Bhagavad-gita Museum are both about 2.5 miles off.

Practical info

Website: wendemuseum.org
Hours: We have no opening hours for this stop yet — check the official site.
On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

Where to eat near Wende Museum

All diners →

Diner & restaurant
Pink's Hot Dogs
Los Angeles, CA · 6.8 mi from Wende Museum
A Los Angeles hot dog stand on North La Brea Avenue, serving since 1939 at the edge of Hollywood.
Diner & restaurant
Barney's Beanery
West Hollywood, CA · 6.9 mi from Wende Museum
A West Hollywood roadhouse on Santa Monica Boulevard since 1927, its walls covered in old license plates.
Diner & restaurant
Formosa Cafe
West Hollywood, CA · 7.2 mi from Wende Museum
A West Hollywood restaurant and bar from 1925, long a hangout for film stars from the studio lot nearby.