GDR-style deco at Berlin's Ostel

It’s usually a bad sign when the standout feature of a new hotel is its dated wallpaper. I had just checked into Berlin’s Ostel to find my room awash in discordant strips of mustard and beige, a garish homage to the dubious merit of 70s décor. And distraction was hard to come by: no TV; slightly too-firm mattresses; the toilet and shower in a communal hallway. Just a crackly radio and some withered children’s books for company and it was hard to imagine this hotel succeeding in any other European city. But then its appeal is distinctly associated with the German capital.

This November sees the 20^th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and as the children of the GDR have grown so too has a sense of “Ostalgie” – a nostalgia for aspects of Communist-era East Berlin. And the tourism industry has taken notice. A hotel and hostel, Ostel’s faded wallpaper and sparse interior might not elicit an enthusiastic response were they transposed to London or Paris. However, as Ostel comprises original GDR fixtures it’s drawing a new generation of German tourists and history buffs whose interaction with Germany’s Communist past has previously been limited to films such as Goodbye Lenin and The Lives of Others.

Housed in an unremarkable tower block by the city’s Ostbahnhof, Ostel may as yet be a little-known attraction in the city, but other GDR-related sights are far more conspicuous. Still severing stretches of the city, scattered remnants of the Berlin Wall stand as terse reminders of the city’s divided past, while a 1.3-kilometre stretch has been reinterpreted as the East Side Gallery: the world’s largest open-air gallery. Featuring approximately 100 paintings, its work range from the humorous to the satirical, with arguably its best known piece depicting Russian and German Communist leaders Brezhnev and Honecker, lips locked sloppily in a passionate embrace.

Travel around in a 'Trabi'

For a more general overview of Berlin’s heritage, the company Trabi Safari offers guided tours through the city in authentic Trabants, or Trabis as they’re more affectionately known. Squat and rickety, these cramped vehicles were the car of (very limited) choice in GDR Berlin and, although they’ve got looks that only a mother could love, it’s quite an experience to join a stuttering convoy of the spluttering vehicles as they creak and crack their way around Berlin’s landmarks. And its not just sights such as the Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate that stand out on these tours. Drive from East Berlin to West today and it’s still possible to see the disparity in their development. West Berlin is home to the city’s most exclusive hotels, boutiques and restaurants, while the East remains its down-at-heel (but edgier) neighbour.

Insight into the despair felt by those confined in East Berlin is seen at the Checkpoint Charlie Museum. Checkpoint Charlie was the name given to an official crossing point between the two states and although the privately run museum is expensive and confusingly laid out, its exhibits indicate how oppressive and desperate life in the GDR could be. As well as false passports and forged papers it includes a hot-air balloon and mini submarine used by East Berliners in their attempt to escape westwards.

A more intuitive, and interactive, display is found at the nearby DDR Museum. Concentrating on everyday life in the GDR its exhibits concentrate on the minutiaeB of day-to-day life under Communist rule, and it is fascinating. Authentic packaging from the era recreates a contemporary kitchen; original fashion catalogues prove interest in style survived on both sides of the wall; and a section dedicated to nudism and Communist holidays shows that the GDR did allow certain guilty pleasures.

The fantastic Fernsehturm

From the up-close-and-personal perspective provided at the DDR Museum, conclude a quick study of GDR Berlin by taking in a more general overview nearby. In the 1960s the GDR constructed a TV tower at the central point of Alexanderplatz, and the Fernsehturm now stands 368 metres tall as the city’s defining landmark. Still serving its original purpose, the TV tower is now a tourist attraction in its own right, featuring a viewing platform and revolving restaurant at its peak. From so high up it’s hard to fathom that the sprawling city underfoot was once severed in two, but as all of Berlin joins to partake in celebrations to mark 20 years of reunification the view from above is of a jubilant city firmly united.

Events celebrating the historic 20^th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall take place throughout the capital until November.  For a comprehensive range of flights to Berlin from destinations throughout Europe, the German national airline Lufthansa offers surprisingly competitive fares and the type of efficient service you’d expect from Germany’s main carrier.