Tags DDR

Ostalgie: Trabant and MZ

Talked to someone yesterday about the former GDR where life was good for about 80% of the people. Housing was cheap, education and health care were good and free. And if you just walked in line, you would have a job, or at least a job, all your life.
Purchasing classics there

Rolfs Reizen: The GDR

A long time ago, in 1971, the four of us drove on a moped to the GDR, Hungary and Yugoslavia. The goal was the Italian coast, to watch girls there. That didn't work out, because we were running out of money and one of us got homesick. On our journey, past the pretty scary Iron Curtain, we saw a lot of motorcycles, which we found very interesting. It was very funny to first see a helmet appear in the rolling landscape and then an MZ, a Pannonia and many Jawas.
Trabant 601L

Trabi kehrt zurück. Rediscovered

The GDR is history, but the Trabants survived. Interest is growing. Certainly in Germany they want to 'mit Abenteuer leben' again and keep the original GDR-Flash on the road. After the fall of the wall, the Trabant was no longer popular and quite a few crossed the border to the Netherlands. Sometimes for an apple and an egg. At the time, people in the GDR preferred to switch to a Western car.
DDR Fahrzeuge

DDR Fahrzeuge

DDR Fahrzeuge, 'vehicles from the GDR', the former 'East Germany'. Does that sound exciting or not? We all know the Trabans and MZs. That they are icons of clothing from the time when governments still knew exactly how to do things. And…

Classic tires

Classic tires from Heidenau

Classic tires. In 1946, Heidenauer Gummiwerke started producing soles and rain capes in Heidenau. From there it was of course only a small step to start making tires. In 1953 there were already 60.000 car and 40.000 motorcycle tires. In…

MZ in Cuba

MZ in Cuba. We don't immediately think of that. When we think of Cuba, we think of beaches, cheaply modeled, dancing young women, cigars and of course the old Americans who have been kept walking there for decades with all the conceivable and unthinkable patchwork.…