Life in the East

Jeff and I really enjoyed the DDR museum, an interactive exhibit all about life in East Germany (DDR for Deutsche Demokratische Republik, but of course we would say GDR in English). It covered the history of the Soviet influence, imposition of communism, the origins of the wall, and life behind the Iron Curtain from infancy to death. The museum displays artifacts and discourse on details such as collective potty breaks, socialized education, “equalized” salaries, anabolic steroid use in top athletics, the hunger for “status symbol” Levi jeans, the nudist craze, and, of course, the iconic Trabi.

Driving the 1971 Trabant

Cotton was extremely hard to find and clothes were available in only a few broad sizes, so most East German women sewed and/or tailored their own clothes

The engineer's salary was about the same as the bricklayer, the miner, the farmer...

Sculptures to commemorate the nude beaches, camp sites, and vacations of the DDR