GDR - German Democratic Republic. New generations probably don't know such a country anymore. History corrected its mistakes, and the best part of the socialist bloc ineptly dissolved in the powerful FRG along with its economy.

But what did we Soviet people know about this country? For us, the last Soviet generation, the GDR was remembered for the pseudo-Hollywood Westerns of the DEFA film company with the pumped up, bronze German-Yugoslavian Goiko Mitic in the role of the always fair and oppressed Indian, for good household electric hair dryers, for unfamiliar to us and so deliciously European-smelling foams baths, and, of course, children's toys.
There was nothing better than airy, bright, glowing in the dark and extremely fragile German glass Christmas tree decorations!
The dream of every Soviet boy was to have a real electric railroad, and the girls' dream was to have a "croaking" blonde doll.

Pseudo-Hollywood production of the DEFA film company and a home coffee grinder from the GDR, 1980. Based on materials from the Internet.

The main consumers of German consumer goods were Soviet women and children. Many, at least all Muscovites, had GDR-made products in their intimate wardrobes. Almost everything that a woman could put on her naked body was produced in the GDR and exported to the USSR. Soviet women loved and bought German underwear, it was comfortable, beautiful and prestigious, there were queues for it, they were speculating and sent in parcels to the national outskirts of the Soviet Union. But there was one more item of ladies' dress that left an unforgettable mark on Soviet history.

Products of the knitwear industry of the GDR, 1980s. Based on materials from the Internet.

... Nylon stockings. Strange as it may seem, this generally utilitarian thing, like nothing else, has played its great aesthetic and moral significance in the history of mankind. Without going into the depths of the issue about which treatises and whole books have been written, I would like to remind the reader that this subject of ladies' dress has historically been inaccessible to Soviet working women. It is easier to say that, since the hungry post-war period, a small crispy bag with the specified product has always been a welcome gift for any woman. However, time passed, and the bourgeois despicable goods were brought to the endless expanses of the USSR only by speculators and diplomats in their immense suitcases. And then the fraternal Germans came to the rescue. From the beginning of the 1970s, the dream became a reality, and Soviet stores began to be supplied with hosiery made in the GDR. The price bites, however, the women made numerous sacrifices and flaunted their prestigious nylon in winter and summer, and which was hopelessly thin and torn. Historically, stockings were superseded by more comfortable tights, but again the primacy on Soviet counters remained with East German goods. There is a little propaganda detail to pay attention to. Achievement of the advanced East German chemical industry - nylon fiber, could not be called the damned American "nylon" or "nylon", it was called very patriotic - Dederon, from the country name DDR.

The Soviet people from the German import left the impression of something bright, light and, in general, unreliable in a European way. Later, in the GSVG, we discovered to our delight just an abundance of good-quality and beautiful clothes and shoes, quite Western quality. To even greater surprise, we never found the famous German toys, which, under the conditions of socialist integration, were inaccessible to ordinary Germans in the GDR. A travel hairdryer, indulgently ordered from the Soviet Union, we were looking for in the GSVG for half a year, because reality and perceptions of possibilities do not always coincide.

“Made in GDR”, the brand was historically not very well known in the world. "Made in the GDR" is a brand familiar to Soviet consumers; produced by "im DDR" became familiar to us in GSVG. Only once I saw the rarest brand "Made in Eastern Germany", similar to "Made in Western Germany". Obviously, the comparison with powerful and high-quality imports from Germany was not in favor of East German producers, and exports were directed mainly to the USSR and the countries of the social bloc. Be that as it may, we all thought that the GDR's products were quite at the level of world standards, and the range was somewhat more serious than Hungarian pickled cucumbers or Bulgarian eggplant caviar.

Camera "Practice" MTL50 and a hair dryer from the GDR were recognized by consumers not only in the USSR. Late 1980s. Based on materials from the Internet.

The top of the consumer basket is the car - an inaccessible luxury for most Soviet people. The countries that make cars are good countries, countries that make good cars are very good countries. The GDR produced automobiles, but the size and appearance of the famous Trabant suggested that Hitler's good idea of \u200b\u200bthe "people's car" was not entirely understood. Whatever one may say, "Volkswagen" never got to that, trying to make its car popular. A plastic semi-toy model, weighing 200 kg, humorously rumbled with a motorcycle engine, emitting a blue smoke. Not caring about the "stars" of security, the East Germans famously drove in their cars, hammering into them 5 people.

Souvenir set of fruit knives and labels for popular soft drinks from the German Democratic Republic, worth about 50 pfenig per bottle, 1980s. Based on materials from the Internet.

In the winter of 1988, proudly moving to Dresden on winter ice along the frozen fields on the famous military bus "Progress-30", produced by the Leipzig tank repair plant "Krasnaya Zvezda", we witnessed how the German Trabant skidded on a slippery road and just "flew". The car tumbled at high speed, landing on different planes of plastic sheathing, which were easily detached with each impact on the ground. In the end, Trabant landed on wheels in the form of a lightweight frame and four lanky, discouraged Germans climbed out of it, surrounded by drivers who arrived in time from passing cars. Unfortunately, the Trabants were too small, and were often choked by Soviet military vehicles on the roads, in as a result, the Germans were often maimed and killed.

With the general omnivorousness of the GSVG population, I do not remember a case when any of the Soviet people bought a Trabant for a ride. Later, describing the orgy of plundering the country in the field of 1990, I was told that ensigns sent Trabants to the Union in ordinary containers, placing them vertically, since they stood abandoned in the street, and the Soviet people had nothing to steal from the units.

Interestingly, all East Germans at the end of their socialist period already had an income that easily allowed them to have a Trabant car, worth 6,500 East German marks. However, there were many more people willing to buy than the cars themselves, and the Germans stood in line for Trabant at the age of 16, while simultaneously handing over for a driver's license. The queue grew and came up in about 5-6 years, according to estimates for 1997. Later I got acquainted with the German car "Wartburg", which was no better than the Soviet "Zhiguli", which were very expensive and prestigious in the GDR. In 1989, the queue for the German "Wartburg" was about 13 years old. The third popular passenger car in Merseburg was the Czech Skoda.

The Trabant car, the Trabi, popular in the GDR, after the unification of Germany, became a derisive symbol of East Germany. 1980s. Based on materials from the Internet.

There was, of course, in people's Germany a good scientific and technical potential, the best after the USSR, which was used for the development of technologies, not very noticeable to the ordinary buyer. In the GDR, science, mechanical engineering, the production of assembly and production machines were developed, which no one saw if they did not get inside the factories. There was an advanced chemical industry that produced beautiful and varied plastics and fibers, and the mysterious computer industry was gaining strength. The good and expensive Praktica SLR cameras were the pride of German exports. Residents of the GSVG often bought these cameras, although I never saw super high-quality pictures from anyone. In German shops there were various stereo equipment and televisions of a completely Soviet type from the local firm RFT, which did not boast the imagination with their quality. The record company AMIGA was rumored to have released good records, however, in the GDR I somehow did not come across them. As in the Soviet Union, the GDR made armored vehicles, road equipment, electric locomotives, our favorite sleeping cars, and very good ankle-footed IFA trucks, which still ride on the difficult roads of Asia and Africa. Even in the GDR, weapons were produced, reliable and high-quality in German. East Germany was one of the Eastern Bloc countries that for years made Kalashnikovs under a Soviet license to the delight of all hot regions of the world. Socialist Germany also produced more delicate orders for the needs of the defense of the Eastern Bloc, however, this part of the industry was known only to specialists.

Living in Merseburg, we had unlimited happiness to enjoy the "fruits" of economic progress. Two chemical plants - in the villages of Buna and Leina, to the north and south of the city, often gave us unforgettable aromas. It must be admitted that the factories built after the First World War were wisely located, and the dominant westerly winds carried the poisonous stench away from the city. However, when the wind changed, we could pinpoint "where the wind was blowing from." The chemical industry was active and productive, we could be sure of that!

I have always been jealously interested in the question - why can't we in the USSR do this? Can't produce good goods, raw materials ?? What is the secret of success? When I managed to drive past our neighboring chemical plant, I was surprised to find a spacious, fenced-in European parking lot full of West German trucks. Many of these were tanks carrying chemical hazardous goods. All this made me think that the secret of the success of the GDR chemistry lies in the massive supply of Western ingredients, raw materials, and, possibly, advanced technologies that were not available in the Soviet Union. Later I learned that trade with the FRG was active, that the export-import of the two countries was very far from the usual assortment of socialist countries, and in general, the ties with the "damned West" were very extensive, which did not really correspond to our Soviet idea of \u200b\u200bthe confrontation of systems.

"Greetings from the GDR" - a collection of postcards from East Germany, published in Germany after the unification of the country. Based on materials from the Internet.

HOUSING PROBLEM

The housing problem did not embitter the Soviet people in Merseburg. With limited living space, everyone was settled in approximately the same way, traditionally taking into account the ranks and composition of families. Everyone understood that life in the GSVG is temporary, and therefore you can be patient and make room. The housing issue did not reach hysterical scenes with unbalanced wives, attracting high command and bribes, no one went to attack the commander with a baby at the ready, which often happened in garrisons in the USSR. Most of the regiment's officers lived in communal apartments in old German DOSs. German apartments were convenient for communal living - they had a corridor system with a shared kitchen, which made it possible to organize quite tolerable coexistence of families. The standard Soviet block-slotted five-story buildings around the Merseburg military town were mainly inhabited by the families of pilots from the flight regiment. Later, I was very grateful for the opportunity that we had the opportunity to live in a real German house, which had not been renovated since the American air raids.

In the park near the castle and the regimental DOS, where my wife and I lived almost the best three years of our life in 1987-1990, Merseburg, East Germany. Photo by the author.

My placement was temporarily decided, but I did not expect to improve quickly. However, everything happened quickly enough. The service went on as usual, and in the second week of my German epic, a short guy in civilian clothes ran up to me on the street, looking like a young free-spirited person. It turned out that he was one of the elusive schmeckers "on assignment", a two-year-old officer who, after provincial in-yaz, served his two years in the army. It was strange to see an officer of the regiment in civilian clothes during working hours, however, I had already heard a lot about the "special mission" of Messrs. Schmeckers. The rumor that a new translator had arrived at the regiment came to him late, and he, delighted, ran to get acquainted when he finally saw me. I had to disappoint the "Cardinal's Guardsman" by admitting that I was not a two-year Schmecker, but a career officer, and that I did not know German at all. By that time, I had already got used to the reaction of people in the GSVG, who refused to understand what a translator can do in Germany without the German language ??! Schmecker clearly lost interest in me, but showed unexpected professional solidarity when he learned that I was a graduate of the Military Institute, about which he knew something. In response to my placement, the young schmecker burst into a florid tirade using not quite normative vocabulary. In his opinion, it turned out that, to put it mildly, the command of the regiment is not quite worthy people, sometimes making not entirely correct decisions. Rejecting my soul, I reluctantly agreed with him, showing with all my appearance my humility to an ungrateful fate. However, my new acquaintance clearly had something else in his head, he clarified my location and surname, saying that I just had to stay in his room, because he is leaving soon for replacement. I just have to thank him for his unexpected participation, shrug my shoulders and retire, thinking about the strange proposal.

The building of the aluminum smelter in Merseburg, GDR - the place of constant work of the soldiers of the regiment until 1987. The soldiers were happy to go to any work, where no one was particularly forced and well fed. This was the only opportunity for the rank and file to see Germany. The factory paid off the regiment command with substandard rolls of aluminum wallpaper, fashionable in the early 1980s. Based on materials from the Internet.

Later, of course, I made inquiries and learned that the mentioned room in a communal apartment was in good standing in the house next to the checkpoint. The chief of the rear of the regiment met my joyful offer with a decisive refusal, because the dwelling of the replacement workers is not distributed among those who wish, and I realized that it was useless for me to break through. However, soon chance brought me to the young Schmecker again, when I accidentally saw him already in the form of a lieutenant near the headquarters a few days later. I considered it my duty to remind about myself, for which the schmecker made a tired grimace, however, I promised to help. For myself, I clarified the exact date of his departure, firmly knowing that the housing issue is strictly tied to the place and time according to the principle "He who did not have time, is late!" Now it is difficult to remember how many days passed, but everything went well, and I received the keys to my new house quite officially, having moved into one room of a three-room communal apartment where at that time the valiant platoon commander Lieutenant K. lived with his wife and first child. Then I found out that there were several applicants for this dwelling, but under the pressure of the authority of the deserved tenant, I got it, for which people unfairly attributed to me non-existent thieves' connections with the command of the regiment, of which I did not dissuade them.

Old regimental DOSs, rebuilt after the withdrawal of Soviet troops, Merseburg, Germany, 2000s. Based on materials from the Internet.

The room was really big. High ceilings, two windows, walls are covered with scarce aluminum wallpaper of wild checkerboard colors, style and pride of a real schmecker. In the corner of the room stood a green tiled two meters high massive coal stove, giving the dwelling a strange prehistoric appearance. The charms of coal heating were still to come, but it turned out that our new apartment had its own special value.

Hot water in DOSs was heated by gas columns, which were connected to a gas meter common in all European countries. Unlike the lavish waste of gas in the USSR, in the GDR gas was expensive and well regarded. It is not known since when the gas meter quietly ticking in the corridor was broken. The massive, electric-like meter was skillfully broken by folk craftsmen long before our arrival and did not show real consumption. The German state gas service, of course, knew about such a puncture and repeatedly sent repairmen to the address. But it was not there! According to legend, for a long time, the German gas masters were not allowed to enter the door of our apartment by disheveled Russian women, stubbornly uttering a magic phrase in the GDR: "Niht ferstein!" As a result of an insurmountable language barrier, the Germans abandoned their attempts to repair the column and put things in order, and with the tacit assistance of the rear command, our apartment was planted at the average fixed gas payment. In other words, we burned gas as much as we wanted, washed in the bathtub for our pleasure for a standard payment, while some of the officers' families were severely economizing and washed in one bath after each other, without changing the water.

So, unexpectedly for ourselves, we ourselves became the heroes of numerous anecdotes about “Semu from Brighton”, who remade the meter, and now the electric company owes him money! A Soviet person is the same everywhere, whether it is a Russian, or a Jew, or an ordinary officer of the Soviet Army.

TERRA INCOGNITA

DDR - Deutsche Demokratische Republik. The German Democratic Republic, which existed for 40 years, was and remains unknown to the Soviet people. Until 1987, the GDR was for me, as for most honest Soviet people, known for some imported goods, for the avaricious two-minute reports of the Vremya program about the successes of the socialist countries and for the much-desired, rare, nighttime music programs of Soviet TV - “ Foreign stage ".

East Germany, 1988. Based on materials from the Internet.

Everyone knew that the GDR was a good friend of the USSR, although old people in the Soviet Union were somewhat cautious about such a brotherhood, recalling the war. The political picture of the time of the prosperous fraternal period of our friendship usually showed a small, dry old man in a gray suit - comrade. Erich Honecker, the undisputed pro-Soviet leader of the GDR from 1976-1990. Times have changed, and the most famous depiction of the old German leader is the political kiss of Honecker and Brezhnev depicted on the Berlin Wall. Sketched by the artist from a real photo of a political meeting of leaders in Moscow, today this propaganda kiss looks like a snide caricature. I think that Honecker himself in those days simply sincerely wanted to please a friendly Moscow, and the immortalized Asian-homosexual kissing of the two elders was nothing more than a diplomatic desire to adapt to the Russian savagery and senile Brezhnev. As you know, even a handshake is a subject of diplomatic regulations, and, naturally, the "monogamous" Comrade Honecker did not kiss anyone else in public. To be honest, I was a little offended that, on the whole, the prosperous period of relations between the two countries did not leave anything more material in Europe, except for the destroyed Berlin Wall with a replicated portrait of senile leaders.

The famous kiss of leaders, caricatured on the Berlin Wall. Based on materials from the Internet.

The propaganda machine of socialism gladly showed the GDR as the vanguard of socialist science and technology; modern laboratories, bright, sparkling workshops and obscure products of scientific achievements flashed on the screen. Television coverage of the life of the German country was limited to the display of many red and national banners, under which the faces of athletic-looking German youth shone in bright uniforms with the stripes of the Free German Youth Union - FDJ. It is quite understandable why the abbreviation FDJ was never translated in the USSR. "Deutsche Jugend" strongly resembled Hitler Youth, notorious since the war, and the concept of "free youth" raised an internal question - free from what? Or what ?? ..

The symbol of East German sports, Olympic figure skating champion Katharina Witt and the GDR national team at the Winter Games. Based on materials from the Internet.

Back in the GDR there was sport, big, Olympic, state. Now, in the new capitalist era, it is no longer necessary to explain to anyone that sport is a large and expensive political and economic event. In other words, no money, no sport. Now, Russian bureaucrats from sports do not need to register modern athletes for fictitious work in order to obtain a work book, they do not need to be accepted into the Armed Forces and assigned to them early officer ranks for an Olympic medal. There were good athletes in East Germany and they were well paid with little concern for the image of "amateur" sports. Swimmers and track and field athletes, figure skaters and heavyweights were quite up to world standards, and East German sports diplomacy worked as it should. They knew about the country, others envied its sporting achievements. During the perestroika period, the scandalous details of the impressive records of German athletes somewhat spoiled the image of the sport of the GDR. It became known about the widespread use of the most advanced doping with the blessing of the sports authorities of Berlin and the use of forced pregnancy of German athletes to improve athletic performance in a short period of time. However, no one has already rewritten history, and the names of famous athletes and their records have remained forever.

Even in East Germany there was a movie. Germany can be very proud of its cinema. In the pre-war period, the Germans made high-quality black-and-white tapes with the participation of stars such as Dietrich and Reck, filmed excellent funny comedies, absolutely unknown in the Soviet Union. In the late 1980s, GDR television showed an excellent retrospective of old German films, and even with my very limited knowledge of German, it was pleasant to watch solid German films, quite worthy of pre-war Hollywood, made without any hint of the political leanings of the Nazi leaders.

Goiko Mitic, an intrepid "cinematic" Indian, a favorite of boys in the GDR and the USSR. Based on materials from the Internet.

The export product of the Berlin film studio DEFA, became German westerns with the German-Yugoslav actor Gojko Mitic. Like the Italian spaghetti westerns of the 1960s little known to us, the Berlin westerns differed from the Hollywood originals in their political sound, and were aptly nicknamed "Osterns" in the FRG, from the German East - East. In films well known to us, such as Die Soehne der grossen Baerin, the Indians have always been oppressed by the bad white colonialists. Fenced off from the large West German Turkish community of the GDR, the pumped-up, exotic swarthy southerner Goiko Mitic became the favorite of the German public for a long time, and in his old age in the 1990s he visited real Indians in the USA, where he received the honorary title of Sioux leader for his special contribution. however, at the same time the Indians had to show all the Berlin film production, shaking off the dust of the times.

Over the course of three years, I have glimpsed many German films of different times and genres that were shown on TV. However, nothing remained in the memory, it was evident that the language barrier for serious viewing is an insurmountable thing. From a certain time on the German screen appeared the beloved hero of Soviet propaganda - a weird American with a Hollywood appearance, a political refugee - Dean Reed. The story of his escape from the United States at the invitation of the Soviet Union (?), Life and unexpected death in Berlin for the Soviet admirers of the new American actor and singer remained a mystery.

The name of the American singer and actor Dean Reed was known to the Soviet public, however, his main creative activity was in the GDR, where the American lived happily in "exile". Based on materials from the Internet.

There was another special export product of the GDR. Ever since Soviet times, in the rare programs "Foreign Stage", somewhere after the eternal Karel Gott, performances of the "Ballet of the GDR Television" or "Friedrich-Stadt-Palasta" were shown. Shows at the level of Broadway or Las Vegas with breathtaking dancers in feathers amazed the fledgling minds of Soviet audiences. The strictly dosed TV show was remembered for a long time, and when I arrived in the GDR, the homeland of attractive ballet, I soon figured out that the GDR Television Ballet was more accessible to broadcast on TV, the Germans showed it quite often. Friedrich-Stadt-Palast was not shown on TV at all, the fully commercial export show was on the level of the Moulin Rouge, and the beauties in topless outfits were the highlight of the programs, as in Paris. The show is still operating safely and open to everyone in its distinctive building near the center of eastern Berlin.

The rest of the life of people in the GDR was unknown to us. We did not know their tastes, political preferences, traditions and moods. The language barrier was everywhere, in all areas of our life together in the GSVG. Communication with the Germans was usually limited to simple purchases, which was mainly the entertainment of Soviet women. For an ordinary GSVG officer, communication with the Germans began with the German border guards, (if you were lucky), on a train from the Union, and ended at the ticket office at the railway station. There were no more private contacts out of necessity.

GDR Television Ballet, 1980s. Based on materials from the Internet.

The Soviet command did not encourage and strictly limited any contact with the population of the GDR. Any "friendly", informal ties were the subject of close attention, and the capital, Berlin, was generally closed to the free entry of Soviet people. There were improbable rumors that somewhere in the outback, someone generally became related by legal marriage with a German woman, but this looked more like a legend. I have heard more than once about the mythical alliance of the Soviet officer with the mistress of the most real gasht, however, I took it for a beautiful fairy tale of people who dreamed of free drinks, which in the conditions of total poverty in the GSVG sounded especially tempting. The notorious annual booze under the flag of German-Soviet friendship, known as "frunschaft", was more of a formality where the Germans simply watered the Russians, having a good time themselves, and perfectly writing off the allocated state money. There was a feeling that if the GSVG had existed longer, the free restriction of the movement of officers across the territory of the GDR would have become a reality. The first timid movements in East German political life in sleepy Merseburg appeared in 1989 in the form of the first political posters. I never saw any demonstrations or performances in the GDR. The revolution, aptly dubbed "banana" by Western critics, passed quietly, gently and without any noisy Slavic clashes. We saw no change either in the behavior of people or in the comments of the GDR television, when in November 1989 the Berlin Wall fell quietly and rather ingloriously - a symbol of communist totalitarianism in the West and, as it turned out, a weak bulwark of the conquests of socialism on German soil.

David Hasselhoff in 1989 suddenly turned from a beach lifeguard to a savior of German democracy. Based on materials from the Internet.

In 1989, the general mood of the Soviet people in the GSVG was resentment. It’s just an insult that the Germans, who live happily or are just snickering, have chosen the western path. Traditionally believing that socialism is good for everyone, realistically assessing the success of the GDR on the basis of free resources from the USSR, Soviet people had a moral right to be offended. The political betrayal of 40 years of friendship by the country's leaders was unexpected and rather vile, while the USSR was still in existence. However, we were all hostages of socialist propaganda, deceitful and politically one-sided. If we had the opportunity to freely communicate with the Germans, if we knew their moods and desires, then the natural, morally ripe geo-political unification of the German lands would seem to us a success of common sense, and we, too, with our Euro-Asian emotionality, would happily ride the Berlin the wall of 1989 to the incendiary songs about freedom of the American with German roots David Hasselhoff. Moreover, he turned out to be his own guy on the board, and drinks vodka no worse than Russian!

In the era of advanced electronics, the Internet and computers, it is at least incorrect to compare the living standards of the countries of twenty-five years ago. Human memory conveniently threw away the negative impressions of the past, and even our, modestly speaking, uncomplicated life in the USSR seems very good to many from afar.
However, as a living witness who lived in the GDR for three years, I can testify that life in East Germany was much better.
Free European education, excellent free medicine, rich pensions and full shops, guaranteed employment and a very noticeable democracy (contrary to common Western propaganda) were not available to us in the Union.
The "showcase of socialism" was well supplied and enjoyed all the benefits provided by the fraternal countries.
Even Czechoslovakia, which is so popular among Russians today, fell short of the level of German democrats, remaining a second-rate state in Eastern Europe.
A little more, and the GDR, with its research and production potential, would become a leader in electronics and computers to the envy of all Western Europe.
But, almost unforeseen happened - the Germans were ruined by ... greed.

As you know, Germany in the critical year 1918 was saved from inevitable socialism by a simple burgher, who out of habit, like three hundred years ago, was sitting in a pub with his mug and sausages. To the legendary German, the ventures of the suspicious Marxists seemed dubious, and the whole country turned in the other direction, following its petty-bourgeois instinct. Forty years later, because of Hitler's stubbornness, socialism again came to German soil, where it reigned for another 40 years, however, now the Germans have received much more workers and peasants from the state. When a person has everything, he needs more, and the bourgeois nature of the Germans again led them to trouble. Doubtful material claims to the authorities in the 1980s consisted of the right to bring used cars from abroad and to have free exit from the country. Without really waiting for a response from the government in 1989, the Germans carried out a peaceful revolution, and, taking advantage of the carelessness of the GDR authorities, practically took the most important step towards the unification of Germany.

The loss of the citizens of the GDR was terrible. The euphoria of change, which the Soviet people enjoyed in the chaos of the 1990s, did not last long, and very soon they severely regretted what they had done. Immediately after the unification of the country in the former GDR, free education and medical care were canceled, social pensions were cut, kindergartens were closed, and, most importantly, the Germans lost their jobs. In Merseburg in the mid-2000s, unemployment reached 35%, which means a complete collapse. Unemployment, poverty, social housing, benefits, crime and drug addiction - have become a reality in yesterday's still prosperous country. Rejected immigrants, Turks, Arabs and Negroes poured into the Eastern Lands from the FRG in such numbers that whole areas of eastern Berlin no longer speak German. The good legacy of the GDR has been denigrated by West German propaganda, which continues to portray East Germans as hapless fools in a small plastic Trabant. However, people have their own memory, and the phenomenon of German "ostalgia" (from the German "east" - east), by preserving everything connected with the GDR, speaks for itself. A powerful social movement has united millions of people in modern Germany, and in terms of activity, mass scale and investment, it cannot be compared with the pathetic Russian sobs over the lost USSR. Museums, exhibitions, collections, clubs and processions, festivals and entire shops filled with old Gedeer goods and products continue to attract people and their German euros. The Germans persistently discuss the historical mistakes of "unification" at numerous conferences and forums of a political, social and religious orientation. Who of us then could have imagined that in the 2000s, on the territory of the renovated headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief of the Western Group of Forces and the headquarters of the Group of Forces, the Germans would stage costumed performances under the slogan "life of the Russian headquarters" and put on Soviet military uniforms in accordance with all the rules of instructions and regulations? !

Parade of enthusiasts of the "Museum of the GDR" in the military uniform of the People's Army of the GDR. Pirna, Germany, 2000s. Based on materials from the Internet.

... There is an opinion that the welfare of the country can be assessed in relation to the elderly, the attitude to domestic animals and the state of public toilets. I dare to say that in these peculiar indicators the GDR was far ahead! For three years I had not seen a single homeless or hungry animal, and the darkest station toilet in the country was clean and smelled quite civilized. On Sundays in Merseburg, near the alcoholic beverage "window", ordinary old drunkards who exist in any country gathered. When I saw their snow-white lace shirts and beige, cremelin suits issued by the social service, their leisurely conversations in the clouds of cigarette smoke and touching politeness in the line to hand over empty vodka glasses, I bitterly realized that we would never live like this in the USSR ...

Staging of the life of East Germany in the "Museum of the GDR". Germany, 2000s. Based on materials from the Internet.

Minibuses, vans, socialist BMWs and other representatives of Poland and the GDR in the USSR vehicle fleet.

Polish army

Exhibitions of the foreign trade association of the Polish People's Republic Polmot (an analogue of our "Autoexport") were held in the USSR more than once. Moreover, in the 1970s, almost a complete lineup was exhibited: from the Malukh, the small-displacement rear-engined FIAT 126P, and the full range of the FIAT 125P, including small-scale exotic versions like a six-door (!) Convertible, to large trucks and buses. Of course, not all of them were officially supplied to the USSR.

The Poles began deliveries to the USSR with the Nysa 501M. The car was based on the design of our "Victory", but had an overhead valve engine

Most of all, the Polish car industry was remembered by our drivers for minibuses and small vans. Cars of the brands Nysa and Zuk were created on the basis of a passenger car Warszawa, in the first life - GAZ-M20 "Pobeda". True, they already had an overhead valve engine with a working volume of 2.12 liters and a power of 70 hp.

Nysa 522-03 from 1975 had a dual-circuit brake system, mainly at the request of the USSR

Nysa cars were made in the city of Nysa at the FSD plant. Deliveries to the USSR began with the 501M, but there were especially many modernized cars of the Nysa M521 family and, since 1975, the Nysa M522, which were distinguished by a dual-circuit brake system. In addition to minibuses, the Union received vans, including insulated vans, designed for 550 kg of cargo and 50 kg of dry ice.

Van Nysa on trials at the NAMI proving ground, 1973

The constructive analogue of the Nysa family was the Zuk, which has been made in Lublin since 1967. By the way, before that, they produced GAZ-51. First of all, we were supplied with Zuk A-06 vans with a carrying capacity of 950 kg. In 1969, 1,421 Polish trucks were sold in the USSR, but supplies grew steadily and more than doubled by the mid-1970s.

Van Zuk A-06 at the Dmitrov training ground

In 1973, the NAMI test site carried out comprehensive tests of the Nysa and Zuk vans. In general, the cars met Soviet requirements, but the handling of tall cars on outdated suspensions at speeds over 70 km / h was considered unsatisfactory. There was even a small scandal, as it turned out that the testers "discredited" the cars of the fraternal socialist country. As a result, the test report was removed to the archive, and the vans were produced and sold in the USSR without changes for many years.

The stability of the Polish vans was considered unsatisfactory by our testers

A wide range of large Star and Jelcz trucks, similar in design, were also produced in Poland. Jelcz 574 came to the USSR in small quantities. Three-axle all-wheel drive chassis with vans - repair shops were equipped with 6-cylinder petrol engines with a working volume of 4.7 liters and 105 hp. The transmission included a five-speed gearbox and a two-speed transfer case.

Zuk A-11M flatbed truck

Polish cars worked for a long time after the end of deliveries and restructuring, often already in private hands. Some examples are found today.

Several Polish repair shops Jelcz 574 worked in the USSR

USSR from the people of Thuringia

In a decree issued by the Soviet Military Administration in Germany (SVAG) in 1945, it is written that "in the name of the people of Thuringia" at the BMW plant in Eisenach, car production should be revived. Before the war, BMWs were made there, and in Munich, aircraft engines and motorcycles. In 1945, equipment for the production of bodies of the Ambi-Budd company, whose services BMW had used before, was transported to Eisenach, and the production of pre-war two-door BMW 321 and four-door BMW 326 was started. The latter were made, however, only 16, and out of 9 thousand produced before 1950 BMW 321 with reliable "sixes" with a volume of 2 liters and 45 hp. a lot were brought to the USSR. The cars repeated the pre-war ones, which are also well known in our country, since many of these BMWs ended up in the Union as trophies. The plant in Eisenach was part of the Soviet-German joint-stock company "Avtovelo", and its products in the Union were called "reparation BMWs" in everyday life.

East German BMW 321s from the second half of the 1940s operated privately until the 1980s. True, as a rule, already on the Volgov units

Since 1949, a redesigned 340 model has been supplied to the USSR - with a 55-horsepower engine with two carburetors. At the same time, the car received the name EMW (E- from Eisenach), since the Bavarians argued against the BMW brand. By this time, the Soviet occupation zone had become the German Democratic Republic (GDR), and Thuringia - the Erfurt district.

In the USSR, there were quite a few EMW 340, which were made from 1949 to 1955

German folk

Almost all the factories of the GDR had the prefix VEB - people's enterprise before the name. And the old German marks were gradually replaced by new ones.

Framo V901 was brought to the Union, mainly in the version of vans

In addition to passenger cars, soon after the war, Framo vans began to arrive in the USSR. The declared carrying capacity was about a ton. At the same time, the cars were equipped with three-cylinder two-stroke engines of the pre-war design DKW (there were also many such captured vehicles in the USSR) with a capacity of 24 hp, then 28 hp. Later, the vans - already new cabover ones - were named Barkas. But such cars were no longer officially delivered to us, our RAFs, UAZs and YerAZs, as well as the mentioned Polish minibuses and vans, performed in their class.

Robur LO3000 cargo truck

But the medium-duty trucks Robur LO3000 came to the USSR. Three-ton cars with a cabover cab were equipped with 4-cylinder gasoline engines with a working volume of 3.34 liters and 75 hp. Basically, vans were supplied, there were also flatbed trucks and even a few buses.

Bus based on truck Robur

Even more East German IFA W50 trucks, mainly single-wheel drive, drove on our roads, fewer - with a 4x4 wheel arrangement. Cars with a base carrying capacity of 5000 kg (approximately our ZIL-130) favorably distinguished not only with a comfortable cab, but also with a fairly modern 4-cylinder diesel engine with a working volume of 6.56 liters and a power of 125 hp. Vans and dump trucks operated in the USSR under the IFA brand.

Dump truck IFA W50LK with a lifting capacity of 5000 kg

The East German presence in the USSR, of course, cannot be remembered without the little funny Multicar cars. They were actively purchased for the Olympics-80 in the form of communal - snow-removing and sweeping-watering machines - machines. Multicar 25 was made with two bases (1970 mm and 2625 mm) and with a 4-cylinder diesel engine with a working volume of 2 liters and 45 hp. By 1983, about 4,000 of these machines were operating in the USSR, and deliveries were actively continuing. In addition to utilities, there were flatbed trucks and vans. These economical, compact cars later, already in the perestroika times, were especially eagerly purchased by private traders.

Today my post is dedicated to the museum, which in my opinion is the most interesting museum in Dresden, despite the fact that even many Dresden residents do not know about its existence, and tourists are quite rare here. The reason for this is simple - the museum is located 10 kilometers from the city center and is not advertised in any way in crowded places of tourists. But this museum is the largest and most interesting in Germany among the museums dedicated to the German Democratic Republic. On four floors, about 40,000 exhibits of the state sunk into oblivion are collected, including 140 vehicles produced in the GDR. I am sure that after my posts from this place, many will include this museum in the list of places recommended to visit. Personally, I was here twice and I am sure that these were not my last visits. Well, for those who lived in the GDR, the museum is strongly recommended to visit.

The report from the museum will be in three parts, today the first.

01. Despite the fact that the museum is located ten kilometers from the city center, it is very easy to get here even by public transport - the fourth tram runs here from the center, the stop of which is right opposite the entrance to the museum. The museum exposition is located in a typical GDR building of the 70s, which formerly housed VEB Kraftwerksanlagenbau.

02. Next to the entrance to the museum is the Wartburg 311, produced in the GDR from 1955 to 1965.

03. In the lobby, guests are greeted by a half of the Trabant - the car-symbol of the GDR.

04. The museum box office is made in the form of the "Pike" cabin - the famous Dresden tram.

After passing the ticket office, visitors take the elevator immediately to the fourth floor and begin to survey the museum from top to bottom. The exposition on the fourth floor is dedicated to the state institutions of the GDR from school to post office and army.

05. The first thing that a visitor sees when leaving the elevator is a miniature of a Dresden street in the 1960s of the last century.

06. From this miniature I learned, not without surprise, that there was a trolleybus in Dresden that existed from 1947 to 1975.

07. Behind this miniature is a much larger model of Dresden streets and city objects.

08. On both my visits, there was no access here, the world of miniatures could be viewed only through the window.

09. A modeler was making something in the corner. Apparently, this part of the museum is available to visitors only on certain days.

11. Badges, medals, insignia.

12. The next room is the classroom.

13. There are a lot of school artifacts collected here.

14. Textbooks. A person who studied at the GDR school has something to shed a tear of nostalgia in this room.

15. Leaflet for the schedule of lessons with greetings from the soldiers of the People's Army.

16. Bust of the leader next to the internal combustion engine.

17. And this is the next room with the post office. The photo shows the periodicals of the GDR times.

18. A computer on the desk of a postal worker, manufactured at the Dresden Robotron plant.

19. I also have a pennant at home with the symbol of Soviet-German friendship, as on the pennant on the right.

20. Political map of Germany.

21. But the contents of this showcase made me feel nostalgic. After all, in my childhood I also had a PIKO railway with exactly the same steam locomotive and the same passenger cars, only their colors were red and white.

22. I also had the same steam locomotive with a tender, although it did not work for long, as I became interested in how it drives, and I slightly gutted his insides to understand the principle of operation. I did not understand the principle, but I could not put it back together, since then the trains had to be moved manually.

23. More boxes from the PIKO toy trains.

24. Sugar Cubes for German Airlines Interflug. I remember that similar sugar was on the post-Soviet trains, maybe it still is, I haven't traveled on them for a hundred years.

25. I go down to the third floor. This floor is more interesting, its themes cover such areas as everyday life, recreation, sports and culture in the GDR.

26. In one of the first rooms on the third floor, visitors are greeted by a GDR furniture wall with a home library typical of that time.

27. Engineer's office.

28. Design bureau of the 1980s. The fall of the Berlin Wall is shown on TV.

29. Kuhlman with drawings of panel high-rise buildings.

30. Several historical photographs. This photo shows the center of Dresden in the 1960s. Almost all of the buildings shown in the photo are still in their places. Even a luminous sign on the facade of the building with a pictured glass has been preserved.

31. And this is a photo of the Marzahn area of \u200b\u200bpanel high-rise buildings in Berlin. The area is currently famous for the fact that many people from the post-Soviet space live in it, some of whom never leave the area, since it has everything you need for life and knowledge of the German language is absolutely not required here.

32. The theme of the next exposition is "Rest", everything is very clear here.

33. Exposition "Sport".

35. More musical equipment.

36. Cameras. There are just a lot of them here.

37.

38. Camcorders.

39. Filmoscopes. As a child, I also had a similar apparatus, only of Soviet production.

40. The corridors of the museum floors are decorated with historical photographs and artifacts from the GDR.

41. Corner of the model constructor.

42. Various apparatus for playing music, from turntables and old radios to tape recorders of the 1980s.

43. The exposition is impressive! Considering the poor assortment of a socialist country, here is collected, I believe, most of the devices for playing music, released in the GDR over the years of its existence.

44. I am sure that here every inhabitant of the GDR will be able to find something on which he listened to music from his childhood to the early 1990s.

45.

46.

47. Reel-to-reel tape recorder. I still found the time of these whoppers. When we lived in the GDR, we also had a similar device. It weighed as if it were cast from cast iron, but on the reel it was possible to record four hours of music.

48. TV room, there is also a wide assortment of the very first GDR TV sets ...

49. ... and up to the latest models from the 1980s.

51. Warm lamp things of the distant past.

52. Pre-war Dresden is shown on TV.

53. Another room. Thanks to the soft light of the bedside lamps, a very cozy atmosphere is created here. You can easily imagine yourself in the 1960s.

54. The best thing about these rooms is that they are not shielded from visitors. Everywhere you can walk and see the numerous details carefully selected by the museum staff. High!

55. From these photographs you will never guess that they were taken in a museum, the expositions are so high-quality and detailed.

56. Feeling as if you were in the most ordinary GDR-ovsky apartment, only the owners went somewhere. The effect of a trip to the past is amazing, it is not for nothing that the museum is called Zeitreise.

57. Weltfunk radio, produced in Leipzig in 1952.

58. Another room, this is already the 1970s.

59. Black TV from the 1990s doesn't quite fit into the overall environment.

60. On my first visit to the museum, this room had a slightly different, more authentic look.

61. On TV they broadcast something corresponding to the era.

63. Sewing business.

64. Other household items.

65. Refrigerators, electric stoves, vacuum cleaners.

66. On the left in the photo is the Belarusian refrigerator Minsk 16, on the right of it are the products of the Saxon enterprise VEB DKK Scharfenstein - refrigerators Kristall 140 (below) and DKK 71 (above).

67. Washstands and hygiene items.

68. A familiar box - our family also had the same hairdryer that we brought from the GDR in 1990.

69. And in my GDR childhood, I had the exact same glamorous pink pot.

70. We move to the next room - there is something celebrating.

71. The amount of detail is impressive! It is thanks to this elaboration of the expositions that it is interesting to come to the museum again - each time you notice a lot of things that were not in sight during the last visit.

72. There are so many different radio receivers here that it would be enough to create a separate museum of old radio tubes.

73. And this is a more modern furniture wall from the 1980s. Such furniture is still in the majority of households in the post-Soviet space. As I walked through the museum, I never ceased to be amazed at how much in common the residents of the Eastern Bloc and the Soviet Union had in the past. It is not surprising that I find a common language with East Germans so well - after all, we grew up in similar scenery among the same things, furniture and panel high-rise buildings.

74. Kitchen corner.

75. Press for the production of cookies from the firm "Robotron". Curious device.

77. Another favorite subject of my GDR childhood is Trink fix drink. How I loved to eat it with a spoon! This sweet cocoa powder was wetted with saliva when it got into the mouth and turned into chocolate. As a child, I ate more of this powder than I drank the drink made from it. And then he kept his children's treasures in these jars.

78. Another kitchen. Here, the campaign is planned for sincere gatherings.

79. GDR-ovsky still life.

80. Carpet depicting the High School of Army Officers (Offiziershochschule der Landstreitkräfte Ernst Thälmann), located in Zittau and occupying an entire area on the outskirts of the city. After the disbandment of the school, they began to resemble the streets of Pripyat. On the carpet you can recognize the silhouette of the officers' school cafeteria, about which I also had a separate one.

This concludes the first part of the story about this amazing museum.

Read about what else was interesting on the third floor of the museum and what pleased the second floor exposition, which was devoted to the topic of the socialist economy in the GDR, work and working conditions.

There is a supplement on the topic "Grocery shopping". I completely forgot about private bakeries. Delicious cakes and pastries were baked there. Everything was low calorie with cottage cheese or light cream, and the top of the cake could be fruit jelly with fruit inside. In terms of ownership, it was something like an individual entrepreneur.
Now we move on with a pure heart.

Clothing shopping.

Clothes, clothes ... Fashion in the GDR kept pace with all of Europe, and did not lag behind it a step. All clothes at that time in stores were relevant. The shops were full and there was always no problem to buy something on the body. It was mostly local consumer goods, but fashionable. The quality was so so. It is noteworthy that, unlike the USSR, the Germans, if they admitted goods from the countries of the former socialist camp, to their market, then in small limited quantities. For such goods, there were specialized branded stores under the name of the manufacturer's country. The Germans then preferred to push only their own goods to the market.
In East Berlin, there were also higher-end stores under the Exclusive brand with GDR export and Western European goods. There you could buy all the goods that were in the assortment of this retail chain using local brands. The price tag corresponded to the status of these goods, but nevertheless, people had the opportunity to buy goods with local money, and not with checks, as in our "Berezki". The trading model in the GDR was then as it is today - to each according to his possibilities.

Very strange, but terribly fashionable at that time trend under the name "sneakers", in Berlin in the 80s, it was necessary to search thoroughly the same way as in the USSR. Then all the people in the USSR were catching an unreal buzz, standing in a queue for many hours to grab the Adidas licensed "Ulm". In the GDR, sports shoes (Sportschuhe) were produced in large quantities at local factories, but they were also sometimes "thrown away". Remember this term "throw away"?
Now in Germany there is such a brand GERMINA. This is also the reincarnation of the old GDR brand.
These are the models of this company at that time. People who were in the GDR remember them very well.

I was unlucky right away in this regard, and for some time I went to the gym at school in such a hybrid of Germina's Germina / Intra sneakers. I had no luck in life with sneakers then.

Textiles of good quality in the GDR were invariably: towels, underpants, T-shirts, tablecloths, etc., and in every ordinary store. The best traditions of furniture, porcelain, glass, the legendary Madonna service - all this is the GDR.
The SALAMANDER shoe stores were doing very well in East Berlin. Some of this has ended up in my family.
The service in the clothing stores was beyond praise. Let me give you an example. My paternal grandfather came to visit us for a week, a veteran with pads on his entire chest, and during the Second World War he dropped bombs on Berlin from his heavy bomber. Of course, he was shocked by everything that he saw in Berlin, and so we took him to an ordinary German store to buy something of outerwear for the fall season. There the staff surrounded him, they advised him what would suit him. The Germans were very competent in choosing clothes for him, and I hope that this was not because we are Russians, because at that time the Russians were very respected in the territory of the GDR.
Ultimately, my grandfather received a cloak with faux fur, which he wore for about 15 years. The quality of the cloak was very good. I will also add, since I remembered about my grandfather that we of course took him to the Surrender Museum in Karlshorst.
There he began to cry when in one of the halls of the museum sounded in the speakers "Get up, nation of the people, get up to mortal battle ...". Someone from the directorate of the museum came and began to ask my grandfather about his participation in the Second World War. For a pensioner of the USSR and a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, I think it was an extraordinary experience. I didn't ask him about it later. Now I think, in vain ...

Household appliances - mixers, hair dryers, kitchen electric bells and whistles, kettles with a whistle, all were available in East Berlin stores. People's enterprise AKA electric worked at full capacity, supplying the population with electric helpers for household and household use.

It is noteworthy that my father, in the very first year of his stay there, bought in one store, in Berlin's Karlshorst district, a magnificent deck from Sanyo model RD-5015. How? What? In reality, Japanese radio equipment was sometimes sold in the GDR? In the 82nd year? For GDR stamps?

Here in the Internet I found her picture.

Yes it is. The deck worked excellently until the legendary SHARP-700 came to replace it, after all, a 2-cassette deck is better for anyone. But that's another story, more about it later.

Cars.

We didn't have our own car there. His father's colleagues, mostly "six", had their cars, with blue numbers of correspondents of various USSR publications or press agencies. In front of our house, in the parking lot and nearby streets, there was almost everything that personified the current situation of German car owners in East Berlin in those years.
Trabants and Wartburgs were naturally at the head, but there were also cars from the countries of the socialist camp, and not only.

At that time in East Berlin I noticed:

Dacia-1300

Skoda-105

Skoda-110R

Skoda-120

Zastava-1100

There was also Tatra, but I don't remember the model, it seemed like it was T613. A rare guest was, like a representative car, like our Volga GAZ-24 at that time. I think people in a certain status drove the Tatra.

There were also Western goodies. They were brought in for sale in the amount of tens of thousands of copies. As I understand it, first of all, residents of eastern Berlin could taste such fruits of the western autobuilding, and then only residents of the provinces of the GDR. Needless to say, in order to get the latest model of the Trabant or Wartburg shaitan machine, an ordinary German had to stand in line up to 9 years. Where is the hurry? Socialism must be eternal.

But still, I have seen happy owners of cars such as:

Mazda 323 BD1

Citroen GSA Pallas


I remember this car stood out a lot. Inside it, in the driver's seat, there was a kind of futurism for that time, just like the DeLorean from the movie "Back to the Future".

The steering wheel alone was impressive. We look where the radio tape recorder was.

You can argue with me, but it seems to me that the French used to be much more creative in the automotive industry than they are now. Here at our "nine" such a steering wheel would look at all 100.

And of course, greetings from our western neighbors in Berlin - Volkswagen Golf in 2 modifications.

Well, Lada and her twins, Polish Fiats, were there too.

Polski Fiat 125p

Lada, of course, dominated the streets of east Berlin more than Fiats. The Germans loved them.

P.S. Not on the topic of the GDR, but in general on the subject of the VAZ suddenly came to mind. Somehow in the 90s I came across the magazine "Stern" from Germany. There was an advertisement for our Lada Samara. That's because the creative people are German.) There they devoted a whole spread to this. At the very top of the page, they placed the complete instrument panel of the aircraft, well, imagine - a bunch of instruments, knobs, buttons. And below they posted a photo of our Lada's torpedo with a signature like: "To control the plane, you need to understand the meaning of each of the numerous devices, but in the new Lada Samara, all control is much easier!"

That's all for now ...

In the following posts of the series "In the footsteps of the GDR": Entertainment, School, Transport, Artifacts, Toys, etc.

The part of Germany occupied after WWII had good roots. The GDR, or the German Democratic Republic, was not a purely agrarian country. The factories of such an industrial holding as Auto Union, a BMW branch and several smaller enterprises remained here. Before the separation, German engineers studied in the same educational institutions, so the country's scientific and industrial base was at a high level. What, in the end, surprised us with the automobile industry of the GDR?

Car park of the GDR

The cars of the GDR were of a good variety. It produced available and well-known "Trabants", "Wartburgs", EMW, "Horchs", "Zwickau" and DKV. The main distinguishing features of passenger cars in Germany are as follows:

• front-wheel drive design;
• economical body made of duroplast (mostly);
• simple and rough body shapes.

After the division of Germany, many enterprises were merged into one large automobile holding called IFA ("Ifa"). Most often, IFA meant trucks. The most famous model among them - W50L - was very popular and had the popular name "Ellie".

Let us consider in more detail the cars of the GDR, modifications and the time during which they were produced.

DKW - German car

The history of this company began with a small bicycle engine. During the Second World War, military production was established at the plant. But the owner of the company knew how to look ahead and took care of developing a stronger engine at a reasonable cost in advance. The idea was to create a car that almost everyone could afford.

The DKW-F1 was produced before the war. It was an air-cooled two-cylinder car. There was an independent suspension and constant velocity joints, or CV joints. "A car from the GDR" - this could be called the DKW-F8 model. In addition to her, there was a model F9, which was even produced in a combi body. All of these machines were characterized by a front-wheel drive design and an air-cooled power unit.

The factories that produced DKV were located in Zwickau and Eisenach. The prefix to the car brand for the F8 and F9 models was IFA. This spoke of her belonging to the united automobile concern of the GDR.

"Zwickau AWZ P70"

The next development after the DKW was the Zwickau. Instead of a plywood body covered with leatherette, plastic - duroplast - was used. It is an easy-to-stamp composite made of phenolic resin with the addition of cotton wool. Due to its ease of production, lightness and relative strength, the material quickly gained popularity among budget cars.

Like its predecessor, the DKW-F8, the Zwickau had a transverse engine. There was already water cooling and a 12 volt on-board network. The gearbox was three-speed. Of the design features, the gear shift cable should be noted. It runs right through the cooling heatsink. The cars of the GDR, the technical features of which could surprise, make them admire today.

The AWZ P70 car rolled off the assembly line in 1955 and had some flaws. In particular, to gain access to the luggage compartment, it was necessary to lower the rear seats. There were also no lowering side windows. A year later, a combi version appeared, which had a large trunk and a light roof made of insulated artificial leather. A year later, a sports model was released, which had a significantly redesigned body, but the engine was standard for these cars.

Popular "Trabant"

Trabant means "Sputnik" in German. The production of this iconic machine began in 1957, when the first Soviet satellite was launched into space. The total number of vehicles produced under the Trabant brand, including the predecessors of the P70, exceeded 3 million. This car brand of the GDR was a real symbol of the country. No matter how scolded "Trabi", and thanks to this car, a large number of the population was able to "get on wheels." So what kind of car was it?

Just like its predecessor "Zwickau P70", "Trabant P50" (as well as versions of P60 and P601) had a thermoplastic body on a metal frame. The power unit was a two-stroke with a capacity of only 26 liters. with. and had 0.5 or 0.6 liters of volume. The engine was cooled by air. Fuel was supplied to the carburetor by gravity from a gas tank located here, in the engine compartment. The fuming motor later became a huge disadvantage. Because of him, "Trabant" had a nickname - "four-seater motorcycle with a common helmet."

The front and rear suspensions were independent. Structurally, this was done on transverse springs. Precise steering was carried out thanks to the rack and pinion gear. Some of the cars intended for disabled people had a semi-automatic gearbox. The gears were manually engaged by the driver, and the clutch was made automatically through a special electromechanical unit.

In 1988, "Trabant" was updated to the P1.1 model. The main change is the new engine from WV Polo with a capacity of 41 hp. with. and with a working volume of 1.1 liters. In addition to the classic sedan, the Trabant was produced as a station wagon. There was also an open-type trump model for the military and hunters. Passenger cars of the GDR, the history of which is developing together with industry, are becoming the closest to the population. "Trabi" is one of such cars.

"Wartburg" from the GDR

The car brand of the GDR "Wartburg" is the second most famous after "Trabant". These cars have been assembled at the Eisenach plant since 1956. The basis for the car was "Ifa F9" or DKV F9, which were produced earlier. The model designation was Wartburg 311. Unlike the Trabant and its predecessors, the Wartburg had more metal in its structure. The body was larger, due to which the interior of the car was much more spacious.

The power unit of the 311 Wartburg was a 3-cylinder two-stroke. A normal lubrication system has not yet been invented. Therefore, concrete smoke was coming out of the exhaust pipe, and when the engine was running, a characteristic motorcycle noise was heard. Also, unlike the Trabant, the Wartburg was water-cooled. The advantages of the model include a rather modern look for those years.

In 1965, the Wartburg is undergoing modernization. The body has been significantly redesigned. Round lines are gradually replaced by straight lines. The modification received the number 353. The large roomy trunk was further transformed in the station wagon and pickup models. The appearance of the car was somewhat reminiscent of the Soviet VAZ-2101. The main disadvantage of the model was the same 2-stroke engine. Small-scale production made "Wartburg" more expensive, in contrast to the same "Trabi". However, in general, its price was affordable, and the car was successfully exported to neighboring countries.

The last modernization of the "Wartburg" took place in 1988. Then the car got the number 1.3 and got a normal 1.3 liter WV Polo engine. However, the overall technological gap was already strong, and in 1991 the plant was bought out by Opel. Today, the Wartburg, like the rest of the GDR cars, is a rarity.

It is known that one of the BMW factories remained on the territory of Soviet Germany (or the GDR). What kind of cars were produced at this enterprise, which was also nationalized? Immediately after the end of the war, BMW 321 and BMW 327 were produced here. The latest model was a classic sports car of the time. A 6-cylinder and almost a 2-liter engine was hidden behind the rather attractive appearance of the car. Fuel was supplied to the engine from 2 carburetors. 327 model could accelerate to 125 km / h.

After the formation of the GDR, it became impossible to use the BMW brand. Therefore, their designation was invented - EMW, which means "Eisenach Motor Plants". And the first example of a new enterprise in 1949 was the EMW 340. It was a redesigned BMW 326 and, in fact, the first own car of the GDR. The body was completely redone, leaving the power unit practically unchanged. Now five of us could ride in the car. The torque has been increased to 4200 rpm. However, due to the greater mass, the maximum speed has become less - 120 km / h.

There were 3 modifications of the EMW 340 produced: a sedan, a station wagon or a combi and a van, which was made of wood. The car was actively used in popular services, such as the police, in medical institutions and government agencies. Most of those cars are now exhibiting at retro exhibitions and are quite active. Many EMW technical solutions were used and then implemented in the "Wartburg 311". Real cars of the GDR, photos, a description of which can be found in this article, today are real rarities.

The car for the circuit race - "Melkus RS1000"

This is a racing car from the GDR, which was assembled by a small workshop under the direction of Heinz Melkus. This man was an avid ring racer. First, he opened a driving school, and then the idea arose to assemble racing cars on the basis of "Wartburgs".

In 1959, the first sports version from Melkus was released. The name of the model was simple: "Melkus-Wartburg". In 1968, work began on a body in the form of a sports coupe made of fiberglass. In this model, gull-wing doors were assumed. A 70- or 90-horsepower engine with a volume of 1-1.2 liters was used as a power unit. Thanks to him, the racing car could reach speeds of up to 165 km / h (up to 100 km / h in 9 seconds). This modification received the designation Melkus RS1000. In total, about 100 copies were released. Unfortunately, after the death of Heinz, it was not possible to continue the business of manufacturing sports cars.

All-wheel drive cars of the GDR

The cars of the GDR could not boast of cross-country ability, although there were real four-wheel drive cars, which were not covered. The very first was "Horch". Outwardly it was Horch 901, but had a different name - HK1. A V-shaped engine with 80 hp was installed here. with. with a volume of 3.6 liters.

The second all-wheel drive car was produced at the former BMW branch in Eisenach. The main name is P1, but there were other options: EMW 325/3, KFZ 3. The car had a 2-liter 6-cylinder power unit of 55 liters. with. Before the plant was completely rebuilt for "Wartburgs", they managed to make about 160 P1 units.

The main all-wheel drive model of the GDR was considered the P2. It was produced at the classified "Object 37" in the period from 1955 to 1958. During this time, about 1800 units were produced. Outwardly, the car was completely unprepossessing. The angular body surfaces were only cheap to manufacture. But behind this appearance was a powerful 6-cylinder engine with a volume of 2.4 liters at 65 liters. with. and a short all-wheel drive base.

The final development of the GDR designers was the P3 model. The ground clearance has become even more - 330 mm. The number of motor "horses" also increased to 75. The appearance of the body also became more presentable. There was a 4-speed manual gearbox and a 2-speed transfer case. It was possible to block the center differential.

Light truck "Barkas"

The cars of the GDR, whose brands had the IFA designation, actually included products from different enterprises. One of the famous minibuses and light trucks was the Barkas. A two-stroke engine from Wartburg is certainly not the best solution. At the same time, "Barkas" had an independent torsion bar suspension for each wheel. Thanks to the front-wheel drive, the floor in the passenger compartment of the minibuses was as low as possible. This added significantly to the interior space.

A 3-cylinder engine with a volume of 1 liter accelerated a minibus with a capacity of 8 people to 100 km / h. The first version of "Barkas" had the designation V 901/2 and already had a sliding side door. Such a car was produced in 1951-1957.

After there were modifications of cars with an engine from IZH: "Moskvich 412". Such a sample was named Barkas B1000. Later, in 1989, a diesel 4-stroke engine from WV was installed on the Barkas. The model index changed to B1000-1.

The main base of Barkas B1000 has received a large number of specializations. Here were:

• the actual minibuses;
• ambulance cars;
• fire trucks;
• auto for resuscitation;
• isothermal vans.

Cars of the GDR "Barkas" were in great demand. During the entire period of their production, almost 180,000 units were produced.

Trucks "IFA"

It is difficult to discern the belonging of a particular car to a particular concern behind the phrase "IFA truck". At one time there was a lot of confusion, but in the end the IFA truck is considered to be the W50L car with the popular name "Ellie." this car is Verdau. And the letter L is the city where it was produced - Ludwigsfelde. The figure 50 indicates that the truck can carry 50 centners, or 5 tons.

IFA W50L had a diesel power unit initially with 110 hp. with., and after modification - from 125 liters. with. There were a huge number of specifications for this truck. There were necessarily firefighters, cranes, dump trucks, drilling rigs. In the photo of the military GDR, it was also the W50L that could be depicted.

The Ellie truck was in great demand and was very popular not only in the GDR, but also abroad. The USSR also actively used modifications of a dump truck and a flatbed truck. Over the entire 25-year period, more than 570 thousand units rolled off the assembly line.

Trucks "Robur"

"Robur" was a medium-duty truck, produced since 1961 in the town of Zittau. The LO 2500 model could carry up to 2.5 tons of payload. There was also a diesel version of the LD 2500 and an all-wheel drive military version of the LO 1800A, which took a load of 1800 kg.

In 1973, a modification took place towards an increase in carrying capacity. Now a diesel car lifted 2.6 tons, and a gasoline one - 3 and 2 tons. Powertrains have become more powerful. 75 "horses" began to have a gasoline "Robur" and 70 - a diesel one. The cab of the car remained unchanged and also accommodated 3 people.

The car was not as popular as the IFA W50L, and by the mid-70s it became obsolete. Almost all the trucks of the GDR, the photos of which can be seen in this article, had simple angular shapes. But the main lag was, of course, technical.

Convenient multi-car station wagon

Cars of the GDR made up the fleet of passenger cars, and among them were such products as the Multicar. These are light trucks for various purposes. The company that produced multicars was called Multicar. It existed right up to 2005.

The first multicars of the GDR were intended for the delivery of goods inside warehouses and factories. These are diesel machines DK2002 and DK2003. Later, a modified DK2004 model was named Multicar M21. This truck was also constantly being improved. If at first the driver could only stand, then he sat down, and in the end the multicar cabin became two-seater.

GDR buses

In addition to a fleet of cars and trucks, there was a bus company in the GDR. They were produced by the private enterprise Fritz Fleischer. Bus brands S1 and S2 were based on the IFA H6B. In the 70s, the bodies and names of the first models were replaced: S4 and S5, respectively. Until the end of the 80s, GDR cars of the S4, S5 brands rendered a great service, because there were no more buses in the Union besides foreign "Ikarus".

Instead of a conclusion

Looking at the car models of the GDR, you learn a whole layer of history. Angular and unprepossessing-looking cars were full-fledged helpers of the people of those times. And at the present time, the cars of the GDR are only rarities.