The Baltic Sea coast was the most popular holiday destination in the GDR. Most holidaymakers stayed in the FDGB holiday homes, others in company bungalows or on campsites. It was a great place to spend a few days and experience little adventures. But if you wanted to enjoy the sound of the waves in the evening, you could easily be confronted by border guards who harshly pointed out signs prohibiting you from entering the beach at night. The coast was a border area and was strictly guarded. GDR holidaymakers looked longingly after the ferries that left Rostock or Saßnitz for Denmark and Sweden. At the exhibition opening, Jan-Hinnerk Antons will talk about what the Baltic Sea meant to the GDR.
Introduction:
Sören Marotz, Exhibition Director DDR Museum, Berlin
Lecture:
Dr Jan-Hinnerk Antons, Helmut Schmidt University, Hamburg