The display case on a weathered stone façade shows two posters from the Städtische Oper Berlin, including a placard for Verdi’s *Othello*. The heavily worn wall of the building, covered with scratches and graffiti, bears witness to war damage and the arduous everyday life of postwar Berlin. The contrast between the prestigious program of a renowned opera house and the damaged building fabric illustrates West Berlin’s cultural assertion amid rubble and reconstruction. The Städtische Oper Berlin—today the Deutsche Oper Berlin—served in this period as a cultural symbol of the West and contributed to West Berlin’s self-perception as a vibrant, culturally significant metropolis during the Cold War.