Welcome to memories of the DDR
During the 1980’s I was part of what some people referred to as the “Great Game” I was lucky enough to find myself working in Berlin. Suffice to say I made regular trips into the DDR, which I came to know quite well. Please visit the summary page to see the aims of this site
Having an interest in railways I got to see a lot of very interesting parts of the then Deutsche Reichsbahn, as well as lots of things the DDR would have preferred me not to have seen, but thats another story. Its hard to believe that this was over 35 years ago. The wall came down on the 9th November 1989 having been erected on the 13th August 1961. I was there, and witnessed the end of the wall, or “antifaschistischer Schutzwall““(antifascist Bulwark ) as it was known in the DDR. The real reason the wall was errected was to prevent the population of East Germany leaving.
Important Information
*The content of this site includes topics of a sensitive nature and may be offensive to some people. All material, is solely presented and used only for historic and educational purposes. I do not seek to support, promote, or glorify the regime or it’s ideologies in any way. I endeavor to present the history of the DDR as it was, and to understand how various aspects of it functioned. I dedicate this site to those who lost their lives escaping from the regime between 1961 and 1989. Please contact me for any further clarification. *
Welcome to Berlin the Capital of the DDR, a sign at the Border crossing on Berlin Friedrichstraße
In 1986 the DDR issued this stamp to celebrate 25 years of Antifascistischer Schutzwall, At this time the wall only had 3 years before it fell
Click to play: Auferstanden Aus Ruinen The anthem of the DDR during its existence from 1949 to 1990. The film was made in about 1988 in the Berlin area and shows daily life in the DDR at that time.
As of April 2024 this site is still under construction. Pages will showcase a lot of aspects of the DDR including Interflug, Mitropa, Interhotels and of course the Deutsche Reichsbahn as well as model railways. The site will be illustrated with my own photos as well as stamps and postcards. Hopefully the illustrations will tell their own story. All errors are of course mine, and I welcome any comments.
Berlin Friedrichstraße. The station was a crossing point between East and West Berlin. I took this photo from my room in the Interhotel on the 26th February 1988. The next day I had an unwelcome interview with the MfS when leaving the DDR, more of this incident follows.
The V111 Pioniertreffen in Karl-Marx-Stadt (Chemnitz) in 1988. Erich Honecker the General Secretary of the SED is singing along with two Young pioneers.
These children and young people certainly, look like they had a great time, It demonstrates the patriotism for the DDR during this period. People who attended confirm this view. It is rumoured that Erich Honnecker cancelled a hunting trip to attend.
It is very unlliky that an event like this will ever be repeated.
The popular perception of the DDR as a repressive and totally authoritarian regime is largely inaccurate, as with other former communist countries it should be remembered that East Germany was occupied by Soviet Russia it is also important to recognize that there were many aspects of the DDR that were appealing to the population such as its social welfare programs and sense of national unity. Ultimately, the DDR’s legacy is a complex one, reflecting both the successes and failures of a socialist experiment that ultimately proved unsustainable in the face of economic challenges and demands for greater political freedom.
This short film of the Central Music Corps of the FDJ and JP should dispel the myths that all large events were totally political, as in Soviet Russia.
Enjoy watching the boys and girls of the ZMK performing German popular music, and the audience totally enjoying themselves.
An Invitation to attend the event
The program
A mug to commemorate this event is on sale in our shop
The design of our mug, to commemorate this event.
now on sale in our shop.
A first dat cover to mark the V111 Pioniertreffen held at Karl-Marx-Sdadt August 1988
.
Two DDR Grenztruppen close to the border crossing at Berlin Friedrichstraße. All DDR border guards were under the command of the MfS
Coming soon, a page on the inner German border.
Interhotels in the DDR
I am currently working on a page about the Interhotel’s in the DDR, this should be live soon.
Breakfast Time. This is how a breakfast setting looked. The Menu is from the Interhotel Gera. (all the items shown are from the author’s collection)
Interflug
A page(s) on Interflug is coming soon, including the MfS involvement in the airline. Interflug existed from the 15th September 1958 to the 30th April 1990
The Airline’s hub was at Berlin Schönefeld Airport (SXF). I have a large collection of Interflug memorabilia some of which will appear on this site.
An Ilysushin 11-14 seen at SXF in 1961, behind the Aircraft construction of the terminal can be seen. (This and the following photo are from Wikipedia and are public domain)
The Airbus A-310 was the last type of aircraft in Interflug’s fleet, seen here at SXF in 1989. Three were operated and continued in service with the German Air Force after reunification in 1990
A ticket issued to me in 1985 for a flight from SXF to Amsterdam
Page updated 20th April 2024