Portal:East Germany

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

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

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

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

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

• Geography:
  • Waterbodies: Borna Reservoir
  • Islands, etc.: Island of Youth – Spree Island – Friendship Island
• History: Neuerer – Messe der Meister von Morgen – Frida Hockauf Method – Bückware – Commercial Coordination (Kommerzielle Koordinierung) – State Planning Commission (East Germany) – Non-socialist Economic Region – Prisoner ransom (Häftlingsfreikauf) – Personal identity number (East Germany) (Personenkennzahl) – Hausbuch – Travel application (Ausreiseantrag)
• Culture: P. Abraham – Boll - East German cinema - Franz – Hahnemann – Jankofsky – E. Köhler - Palitzsch – Quermann – Stengel
  • Literature: – East German Science Fiction - East German socialist realism
  • Language: – Language usage in the GDR
  • Art: – Olympic Games on stamps of the GDR Deutsche Post
  • Architecture: GDR College of Construction Engineering – Architecture in the German Democratic Republic
  • Music: Committee for the Art of Conversation – Anstalt zur Wahrung der Aufführungs- und Vervielfältigungsrechte auf dem Gebiet der Musik – Performance licence – Michael Rauhut
• GDR border: GDR visa warrant (Berechtigungsschein zum Empfang eines Visums der DDR) – Border regime (Grenzregime) – Pass agreeement (Passierscheinabkommen) – Transit traffic – Victims of the Berlin Wall – Operation Vermin (Aktion Ungeziefer)
• Border crossing victims: Göring – Huhn
• Die Wende: de Maizière government – Cost of German Unity
• Politics: – Party secretary (East Germany) – Bezirkstag
• Mass organisations: Association of Sport and Technology – Chamber of Technology
• Armed bodies: Community policeman (Abschnittsbevollmächtigter) – NVA oath of allegiance (Fahneneid) – Schwedt Military Gaol – State Secretariat for State Security
• Other orders: Order of Fatherland Service
• Religion: Christians and the church in the GDR – Federation of Evangelical churches in the GDR – Evangelical State Church of Silesian Upper Lusatia – Evangelical-Lutheran State Church of Saxony – Federation of Evangelical-Free Church Parishes in the GDR
• Education and science: Science and technology in the GDR – Central Institute for Youth Research – School flag ceremony – Workers and Farmers Faculty – Multi-spectral camera – Arbeiterstudium
• Places of interest:– Kyffhausen Imperial Castle – Wiprecht Castle, Groitzsch
• Museums: Bell and Town Museum, Apolda
• Sport: BSG KKW Greifswald – Ice hockey – Gymnastic and sports festivals in the GDR – DDR-Rundfahrt
• People: Axen – Bentzien – Böhm – Gießmann – Herrmann – Heusinger – H.-J. Hoffmann – Lietz – Luft – Warnke – H. Wolf – Ziller
• Opposition: Weiß
• Scientists: Dathe – Gossweiler – Moritz Mebel
• Sport:Geißler – Reich – Schäffner – Schnieke
• Finance: Commemorative coins of the GDR
• Cuisine: Filinchen – Nordhäuser Doppelkorn
• Media: Tageszeitungen – – National-Zeitung – Tribüne – Die Union – Märkische Oderzeitung – Das Magazin – Eulenspiegel – FF-Dabei – Neue Berliner Illustrierte – Atze – Trommel – Westfernsehen – Herr Fuchs und Frau Elster – Glück muß man haben – Willi Schwabes Rumpelkammer - Nationales Spielfilm-Festival – Stimme der DDR – Berliner Welle – Sport aktuell (DDR)

• Postal: East German postage stamps

• Justice:Labour law (East Germany) – Employment law (East Germany) – Family law (East Germany) – Judicial system of East Germany – Criminal law (East Germany) – Waldheim Trials – Civil law (East Germany) – Waldheim Gaol

• Transport: Firefighting vehicles of the GDR – L60 – MZ TS motorcycle – Simson S70 – Roads in the GDR – W50

• Economy: EAW Berlin – Einzelhandelsverkaufspreis – Konsum (East Germany) – Consumer goods production in the GDR – List of East German products – Malimo – NARVA – Produktionsgenossenschaft des Handwerks (PGH) – SERO – SKET – Vereinigung Organisationseigener Betriebe (VOB) – Wolfen Film Company –

Finance: Mindestumtausch – Forum check – East German mark – Staatsbank

Cuisine: Broiler – Ketwurst – Soljanka

Media: Censorship in East Germany

Newspapers and magazines: Berliner Zeitung – Neues Deutschland – Junge Welt – Der Morgen – Sputnik – Mosaik – FRÖSI

Radio: Rundfunk der DDR – Berliner Rundfunk – Radio DDR 1 – Radio DDR 2 – Deutschlandsender – Radio Berlin International – DT64

Television: Fernsehen der DDR – Aktuelle Kamera – Sandmännchen – Der schwarze Kanal

Cinema and films: DEFA – Solo Sunny – Die Legende von Paul und Paula – Traces of Stones – Bear Ye One Another's Burden

Postal: Deutsche Post of the GDR

Justice: Brandenburg-Görden Prison

Transport: Alexanderplatz – Karl-Marx-Allee – Barkas – Interflug – Reichsbahn – Robur – Trabant – Wartburg

Economy: Genex - Industrieverband Fahrzeugbau (IFA) – Intershop – Combine – Leipzig Trade Fair – Landwirtschaftliche Produktionsgenossenschaft (LPG) – Minol – ORWO – Pentacon – Planned economy - Praktica – Comecon – VEB Robotron – Kombinat Mikroelektronik Erfurt - SDAG Wismut – Treuhand – Volkseigener Betrieb (VEB) – Public property

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