Portal:East Germany

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The East Germany Portal

Portal:East Germany

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The East Germany portal offers an overview of the most important and newest articles on the subject of East Germany, the former Communist state officially known as the German Democratic Republic or GDR The portal contains links to a cross-section of articles from the areas of history and politics, geography and economy, art and culture, and some of the important personalities from the region.

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Introduction

East Germany (German: Ostdeutschland [ˈɔstˌdɔʏtʃlant] ^ⓘ), officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik [ˈdɔʏtʃə demoˈkʁaːtɪʃə ʁepuˈbliːk] ^ⓘ, DDR [ˌdeːdeːˈʔɛʁ] ^ⓘ), was a country in Central Europe from its formation on 7 October 1949 until its reunification with West Germany on 3 October 1990. Until 1989, it was generally viewed as a communist state and described itself as a socialist "workers' and peasants' state". The economy of the country was centrally planned and state-owned. Although the GDR had to pay substantial war reparations to the Soviets, its economy became the most successful in the Eastern Bloc.

Before its establishment, the country's territory was administered and occupied by Soviet forces following the Berlin Declaration abolishing German sovereignty in World War II. The Potsdam Agreement established the Soviet-occupied zone, bounded on the east by the Oder-Neiße line. The GDR was dominated by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), a communist party, before being democratized and liberalized in 1989 as a result of the pressure against communist governments brought by the Revolutions of 1989. This paved the way for East Germany's reunification with the West. Unlike the government of West Germany, the SED did not see its state as the successor to the German Reich (1871–1945) and abolished the goal of unification in the constitution (1974). The SED-ruled GDR was often described as a Soviet satellite state; historians described it as an authoritarian regime. (Full article...)

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Jacob the Liar (German: Jakob der Lügner) is a 1975 war drama film directed by Frank Beyer, adapted by Beyer and Jurek Becker from the latter's novel of the same title. Set in Nazi-occupied Poland during the Holocaust, the film centers on Jakob Heym (played by Vlastimil Brodský), a Polish Jew who attempts to raise the morale inside the ghetto by sharing encouraging rumors that he claims he has heard on an (imaginary) radio. The film was a co-production between East Germany and Czechoslovakia. It premiered on East German television on 22 December 1974, and was released theatrically on 18 April 1975.

Work on the picture began in 1965, but production was halted in summer 1966. Becker, who had originally planned Jacob the Liar as a screenplay, decided to make it a novel instead. In 1972, after the book garnered considerable success, work on the picture resumed. Jacob the Liar was both a critical and commercial success, earning multiple international accolades and becoming the first East German film to be entered into the Berlin International Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Bear. The film was also nominated for Best Foreign-Language Film at the 49th Academy Awards, the only East German film to ever be nominated.

An English-language remake, starring Robin Williams, was released in 1999. (Full article...)

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Geography and nature

The German Democratic Republic, which consisted geographically of what is now eastern Germany, had an area of 107,771 km² (41,610 mi²), bordering Czechoslovakia in the south, West Germany in the south and west, the Baltic Sea to the north, and Poland in the east.

Much of the territory of the former East Germany lay on the North German Plain and was largely flat and agricultural apart from low morainic hills left by the ice age. However in the south the land rose to the Ore Mountains and Elbe Sandstone Mountains that formed the border with its Communist neighbour, Czechoslovakia.

Administration divisions (Bezirke): Berlin – Cottbus – Dresden – Erfurt – Frankfurt (Oder) – Gera – Halle – Karl-Marx-Stadt – Leipzig – Magdeburg – Neubrandenburg – Potsdam – Rostock – Schwerin – Suhl

Cities and towns: Altenburg – Apolda – Bautzen – Brandenburg/Havel – Cottbus – Dessau – Dresden – Eberswalde – Eisenach – Stalinstadt/Eisenhüttenstadt – Erfurt – Frankfurt (Oder) – Freiberg – Gera – Görlitz – Gotha – Greifswald – Halberstadt – Halle – Halle-Neustadt – Hoyerswerda – Jena – Chemnitz/Karl-Marx-Stadt – Leipzig – Magdeburg – Merseburg – Neubrandenburg – Plauen – Potsdam – Rostock – Schwedt – Schwerin – Stralsund – Suhl – Weimar – Wismar – Wittenberg – Zittau – Zwickau

Rivers and canals: Elbe – Gera - Havel – Neiße – Oder – Saale – Spree – Unstrut – White Elster – Black Elster – Mittelland Canal – Werra

Waterbodies: Müritz – Schweriner See – Plauer See – Kummerower See – Scharmützelsee – Werbellinsee – Großer Müggelsee – Bay of Greifswald – Oderhaff

Islands: Rügen – Poel – Usedom – Hiddensee – Greifswalder Oie

Mountain and hill ranges: Ore Mountains – Harz – Elbe Sandstone Mountains – Thuringian Forest – Thuringian Highland – Vogtland – Kyffhäuser – Rhön – Zittau Mountains

Regions: Dresden Elbe Valley – Lusatia – Spreewald – Mecklenburg Lake District – Barnim – Fläming – Magdeburg Börde – Altmark – Saxon Switzerland – Eichsfeld

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History, politics and religion

History: 1953 Uprising – Dacha – Four Power Agreement on Berlin – Basic Treaty, 1972 – Permanent representative – Palace of the Republic – Begrüßungsgeld

GDR border: Treaty of Zgorzelec – Berlin Wall – Inner German border – Border crossings – Berlin Friedrichstraße station – Checkpoint Charlie – Marienborn border crossing – Spring-gun – Republikflucht – Mindestumtausch

Deaths at the Berlin Wall: Fechter – Gueffroy – Litfin – Siekmann

Die Wende: Monday demonstrations – Social Democratic Party – 1990 General Election – Treuhand – Two Plus Four Agreement – Reunification (Einigungsvertrag) – Stasi Records Agency – Ostalgie

Logo of the Socialist Unity Party (SED)

Politics: State flag – National Emblem – National hymn – Constitution – Volkskammer (People's Chamber) – State Council – Council of Ministers – National Front – Socialist Unity Party – Bloc party – Christian Democratic Union – Liberal Democratic Party – Democratic Farmers' Party – National Democratic Party – Administrative divisions (Bezirke)

"Mass organisations": Free German Youth – Free German Trade Union Federation – Cultural Association of the GDR – Democratic Women's League of Germany – People's Solidarity – Society for German–Soviet Friendship – Ernst Thälmann Pioneer Organisation

Armed bodies: National People's Army – Border Troops – Schießbefehl – Stasi – Hauptverwaltung Aufklärung (Main Directorate for Reconnaissance) – Volkspolizei – Combat Groups – Volksmarine – Armeegeneral – Marshal – Warsaw Pact – Construction soldier

Other orders: Orders, decorations, and medals of East Germany – Banner of Labour – Order of Karl Marx – National Prize of the German Democratic Republic – Scharnhorst Order – Star of People's Friendship – Blücher Order

Religion: Evangelical Church in Berlin, Brandenburg and Silesian Upper Lusatia – Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg – Pomeranian Evangelical Church – Evangelical Church of the Church Province of Saxony– Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thuringia – Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Berlin – Roman Catholic Diocese of Dresden-Meissen – Roman Catholic Diocese of Erfurt – Roman Catholic Diocese of Görlitz – Roman Catholic Diocese of Magdeburg

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Education, culture and sport

Education and science: Education in East Germany – Academy of Sciences of the German Democratic Republic– Charité – Humboldt University of Berlin – Erweiterte Oberschule – Polytechnic Secondary School – Tierpark Berlin – Muttiheft

Language: German – Berlinerisch – Sorbian

Culture: Culture of East Germany – Classical Weimar

Art: Theater am Schiffbauerdamm – Semperoper

Architecture: Bauhaus World Heritage Site - Fernsehturm Berlin - Krämerbrücke - Plattenbau - Prora

Music: List of classical composers – Ostrock

Film: DEFA – DEFA Film Library - Kino International - List of films set in Berlin

Places of interest: Dresden Castle – Sanssouci – Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm

Cathedrals and churches: Berlin Cathedral – Erfurt Cathedral – Naumburg Cathedral

Museums and collections: DDR Museum - German Hygiene Museum - Memorial and Education Centre Andreasstrasse - Museum Island – Old Synagogue (Erfurt) - Pergamon Museum - Stasi Museum - Tränenpalast

Sport: List of football clubs – GDR Football Association – DDR-Oberliga – FDGB-Pokal – 1. FC Union Berlin – Berliner FC Dynamo – Dynamo Dresden – FC Carl Zeiss Jena – Red Bull Arena

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East German people

Politicians: Benjamin – Bergmann-Pohl – Böhme – Dertinger – Dieckmann – Fechner – Gerlach – Götting – G. Gysi – Hager – H. Hoffmann – Th. Hoffmann – E. Honecker – M. Honecker – Keßler – Krack – Krenz – de Maizière – Maleuda – Mielke – Mittag – Modrow – Neumann – Norden – Schabowski – Schalck-Golodkowski – Sindermann – Stoph – Tisch – Ulbricht – Verner – M. Wolf – Wollweber – Zaisser

Opposition and resistance: Bahro – Biermann – M. Birthler – Bohley – Brüsewitz – Eppelmann – Fuchs – Führer – Gauck – Havemann – Ullmann

Scientists: von Ardenne

Artists, playwrights, poets, writers: Andersen Nexø – Baierl – Brecht – Busch – Esche – Hacks – Heym – Kant – H. Müller – Noll – Plenzdorf – Anna Seghers – Strittmatter – Tübke – Weigel – Chr. Wolf – Womacka

Athletes: Cierpinski – Emmrich – Geyer – Hoppe – Langhammer – Laser – Recknagel – Sammer – Täve Schur – Siegl – Sparwasser – Streich – Weißflog – Witt

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General images

The following are images from various East Germany-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Statues of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the Marx-Engels-Forum, Berlin (from Culture of East Germany)
Image 2Eastern German reenacters at an Indianistikmeeting in Schwerin, 1982. The popular image of Native Americans made Native American living history quite popular in East Germany. (from Culture of East Germany)
Image 3Logo for Der schwarze Kanal (from Culture of East Germany)
Image 4Public nudist area at Müggelsee, East Berlin (1989) (from Culture of East Germany)
Image 5Inter-German Border Strip at the Berlin Wall (from History of East Germany)
Image 6GDR era Karl Marx monument in Chemnitz (renamed Karl-Marx-Stadt from 1953 to 1990) (from History of East Germany)
Image 7The Oder-Neisse Line (from History of East Germany)
Image 8Prager Straße in Dresden in 1972 (from Culture of East Germany)
Image 9Allocation policy for "surplus" German heavy industry under the "Level of Industry" plans (from History of East Germany)
Image 10Strausberger Platz in East Berlin (from Culture of East Germany)
Image 11East German leaflet, fired across the inner German border (from Culture of East Germany)
Image 12Economic activity in the GDR (from History of East Germany)
Image 13The logo of the SED (from History of East Germany)
Image 14Mosaic by Walter Womacka in Eisenhüttenstadt (from Culture of East Germany)
Image 15Logo for the 40th anniversary of the German Democratic Republic in 1989 (from History of East Germany)
Image 161951 East German stamp commemorating the Treaty of Zgorzelec establishing the Oder-Neisse line as a "border of peace", featuring the presidents Wilhelm Pieck (GDR) and Bolesław Bierut (Poland) (from History of East Germany)
Image 17Map showing the different borders and territories of Poland and Germany during the 20th century, with the current areas of Germany and Poland in dark gray (from History of East Germany)
Image 18The flag of the German Democratic Republic, 1959–1990 (from History of East Germany)
Image 19Occupation zone borders in Germany, 1947. The territories east of the Oder-Neisse line, under Polish and Soviet administration/annexation, are shown as white, as is the likewise detached Saar protectorate. Berlin is the multinational area within the Soviet zone. (from History of East Germany)