DDR 9 November 1989-2007

[Guest Rick Research]

18 years... wow.

Where is that lady in the slippers today?

[slava1stclass]

18 years... wow.

Where is that lady in the slippers today?

Rick,

Dancing on "die Uebereste der Mauer in der Naehe vom Potsdamer Platz." That's where!

Regards,

slava1stclass

[Guest Rick Research]

I hope so, I hope so.

It's amazing how soon "current events" become "history." One of many signs of growing old, sigh.

Hard to believe that an entire generation of school children has now graduated without memory of the Way Things Were.

[Paul R]

I cannot believe that it has already been that long!! Where has the time gone! I will be old soon, at this rate!

[Guest Rick Research]

Yeah, but I remember "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold," "Funeral In Berlin," and "Torn Curtain" when they came out as Current Events.

Any other favorite DDR Cold War movies?

[Knarf]

Hello,

18 Years is a long time. Working on an exhibition (700sqm) on GDR - State and life I had to go to Eastern Germany.

There I had to visit some firms which have survived until today.Out of 126 fims only 5 had old documents or samples of products.

I have visited 21 town majors to find old busts, forms, old office furniture... In only one case I had success. There was a cellar full of GDR stuff. That and the offer to take everything made me happy.

When the country was united everything from the East was thrown away. West was best.

Just after the opening of the border I started to collect. The old NVA was history. The commanders of the units had to destroy nearly everything they had worked with for many years. When I arrived in the camps

they only said : Take anything you need. What do you need that XXX ( bad word) for?

When the Soviet Army moved back, there was a lot of vandalism by the German population. Not much was left. Fortunately I visited the Soviets before and they made me very happy. In most of the cases there was no interest by the local museums. That came when it was to late.

18 Years ago everybody in the East called me an idiot. Today even the large museums are asking for support.

18 years after the opening of the border the prices for GDR or Soviet stuff have changed dramatically.

A uniform was free ( everybody was happy when I came with a trailer) now it is expensive. The depots were full of medals now medals cost money.

18 years ago I have seen large piles of equipment burning. Now it is expensive.

Remembering all that I can be very happy to be an idiot.

18 years ago I had the best idea of my life. I bought a very large trailer.

Even 18 years later I find boxes and containers which have never been opened.

Now let us all rise our glas on 18 years collecting GDR stuff. In two years it will be the 20th anniversary.

Regards

Frank

[Guest Rick Research]

Where would history be without "idiots" like us, Frank-- saving the things everybody else throws away?

Isn't it funny how quickly "living memory" can be... completely forgotten. as if it had all... never really happened?

[Bryan]

Interesting post to read Frank!

[Paul R]

I bet that the person stuffing his attic with those dirty German uniforms in 1946 were thought of as idiots as well. I wonder how many of these people funded their retirement on the "trash" they horded?