Intershops open

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In 1974 GDR citizens are allowed to purchase Western goods in foreign-currency shops - known as Intershops - for the first time. The product lines in these stores featured a small selection of high-quality GDR merchandise and a large range of goods produced in the FRG or other countries in the non-Socialist economic area.

Shoppers could pay in Deutsche marks (Western marks) or in other currencies, such as the US dollar or the Austrian shilling. Prices were marked in Deutsche marks and set by the GDR authorities. Special conversion tables were provided to convert West German marks into other currencies, but they had little relation to the actual rates.

The Intershops, a source of tax-free goods, were very popular among West Berliners. Smuggling goods for personal use virtually became a national sport.

locations

Bahnhof Friedrichstraße, Friedrichstraße 98, 10117 Berlin

showtime
5

latitude
52.520097

longitude
13.388281
Bornholmer Straße Ecke Malmöer Straße

showtime
25

latitude
52.554325

longitude
13.402563

date

November 02, 1973
Laying the foundation stone of the Palace of the Republic

A new palace is emerging in East Berlin: the Palace of the Republic. Berlin Palace once stood on this spot. The GDR authorities had the grand Prussian building blown up in 1950. A “palace for the people” will now take its place. It will also be home to the GDR's People's Parliament. The modern building's doors will open 32 months later in 1976.

Everyday Life, East

00:49
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October 1973
The oil crisis hits Berlin

The oil embargo of 1973 was a politically motivated crisis. OPEC decided to cut oil production by approximately five percent. The aim was to put pressure on Western nations who were supporting Israel in the Yom Kippur War in October 1973. On 17 October 1973 the price of oil rose from around three US dollars per barrel (159 litres) to over five dollars, equivalent to an increase of approximately 70 percent. The oil crisis also had an impact on West Berlin, causing petrol shortages and rationing. The Federal Government even introduced car-free Sundays.

Politics, Culture

03:01
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July 29, 1973
World Festival of Youth

For the second time since 1951 East Berlin is organising the World Festival of Youth and Students. Eight million people descend on the city, transforming Alexanderplatz into a huge festival arena. The GDR, with its new head of state and Party leader Erich Honecker, wants to present a cosmopolitan image. Free love, long hair: a colourful chaos. Suddenly almost anything seems to go in the GDR capital, turned upside down for nine days. West Berlin sports teacher Gunnar Rohn talks about his experiences at the festival. A different kind of provocation is coming from East Berlin's cinemas: the film The Legend of Paul and Paula escapes a ban by the skin of its teeth. It is to become one of the most successful DEFA films of all time.

Contemporary Witnesses, Culture, East

03:24
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1973
A car made in West Berlin

A new car is being built in West Berlin: "the shopper". It is the curious product of lavish state subsidies allocated to the walled-in city to attract industry. But the new vehicle is too small, too impractical and too expensive. After just one year, the manufacturer declares itself bankrupt. Fewer than 2,000 “shoppers” have rolled off the production line.

Everyday Life, West

00:59
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1973
Double-decker buses

Berlin Transport Authority's (BVG) double-decker buses wind through the city's streets decked out in bright and cheerful adverts in an attempt to generate funds for its cash-strapped coffers. This is not the only innovation on the bus lines: for the first time since the war, women are also allowed behind the wheels of double-deckers. Up until 1971 this was prohibited by law.

Everyday Life, West

00:51
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1974
Everyday life for the allies

The families of the allied forces spend their day-to-day lives in their own residential areas in West Berlin, complete with schools and shops. The British even have their own train, which travels from Berlin to Hanover once a week.

Everyday Life, West

00:32
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1974
A tank runs amok

In March 1974 a US soldier runs amok in his tank and almost sparks a global conflict. The soldier breaks through the border crossing at Checkpoint Charlie, drives to the Dreilinden Checkpoint and continues on into the GDR. His motive remains unknown.

Border, Escaping, West, East

00:27
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1974
West Germany's Permanent Mission in East Berlin

The two German states establish official relations. Although the governments of the Federal Republic of Germany and the GDR did not open embassies in Bonn/East Berlin – the Federal Republic did not recognise the GDR as a foreign country under international law – they did establish Permanent Missions on 2 May 1974. The Basic Treaty signed in 1972 paved the way for this step. The staff of West Germany's Permanent Mission lived and worked in East Berlin. However, their children went to school in West Berlin. A life divided between two very different worlds. Ministry official Hans-Otto Bräutigam vividly recalls this time.

Contemporary Witnesses, Politics, West, East

02:37
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May 1974
Willy Brandt steps down

Günter Guillaume, a close aide of Willy Brandt, is exposed as a Stasi agent, prompting Brandt to step down as Federal Chancellor on 6 May 1974. Berliners are dismayed: Brandt symbolises the policy of easing tensions which has led to significant improvements to everyday life in the divided city. The day of his resignation, they come out onto the streets to demonstrate their support.

Politics, West

00:39
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June 01, 1974
Football World Cup

In June 1974, the Federal Republic organises the Football World Cup. West Berliners are not limited to television viewing: games will also be held at the Olympic Stadium. The fact that both German teams will play group matches here is a particularly sensitive point. However, they will not face each other in Berlin.

Everyday Life, West, East

00:57
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location

November 02, 1964
Travel permits for East German pensioners

The Wall opens to East Berliners for the first time. The GDR Council of Ministers has decided that pensioners from the GDR will be allowed to travel to the West. The pensioners are allowed to visit relatives in the Federal Republic of Germany or West Berlin once a year for up to four weeks. When they return via border crossings in West Berlin, their bags are packed full of Western goods. The GDR authorities see this as a minimal risk: the economy has little need for elderly East Berliners. As it is, only one in a thousand stay in the West anyway.

Border, Everyday Life, Politics, East

00:26
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December 17, 1963
First border pass agreement

For the first time since 1961, small gaps start to appear in the Wall. The border pass agreement is signed on 17 December 1963, 28 months after the Wall goes up, allowing West Berliners to visit their relatives in the other part of the city over Christmas. More than 700,000 West Berliners take advantage of this long-awaited chance to see their loved ones on the other side of the Wall. Some 1.2 million cross over to the East between 19 December and 5 January. GDR post office workers are responsible for processing the permit applications. Although they are state employees, they do not represent East German public authorities like police or customs officials. As a result, the Federal Republic views the border pass agreement as an administrative agreement which does not signify recognition of the GDR. The SED regime, on the other hand, does everything it can to give the agreement the character of an international treaty. A total of four border pass agreements are negotiated up until 1966.

Escaping, Contemporary Witnesses, Politics, West, East

02:43
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April 1977
Hotel Metropol

The Hotel Metropol opens in East Berlin. Guests pay in Western currency and enjoy Western comforts in the heart of the GDR. Helga Lindner works at the hotel, in the team responsible for looking after the (Western) guests.

Contemporary Witnesses, Everyday Life, East

01:56
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1966
Military parade to mark the 5th anniversary of the Wall

The SED party leaders hold a grand military parade to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the closing of the border. The Western allies view the military parade as a violation of the Four Power agreements. However, head of state and Party leader Walter Ulbricht claims to have secured peace by building the Wall in 1961. West Berlin's mayor, Willy Brandt, declares that the Wall will come down, but only as part of more widespread changes. Manfred Lauchardt witnessed events first-hand back then. He recalls how many of the East Berliners who lined the streets did so more out of duty than conviction.

Contemporary Witnesses, Politics, East

01:06
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January 01, 1979
Conscription dodgers move to West Berlin

Under allied law, West Berliners don’t have to do military service. That makes the city attractive to any West Germans who want to escape conscription. In East Berlin, meanwhile, military service is still very much a part of life, despite the city’s demilitarised status. The only way to avoid it is to do non-military building work – but that still means you have to join the army. Anyone who refuses conscription outright has it hard. Nevertheless, Michael Frenzel, a church social worker in East Berlin, decided to take that route. It landed him in jail.

Contemporary Witnesses, Politics, West, East

01:37
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1976
Wolf Biermann and Lothar Loewe expelled

The GDR does not take kindly to criticism. East Berlin singer-songwriter Wolf Biermann has been banned from appearing in the GDR for the past 11 years. Then, in November 1976, completely out of the blue, he receives permission to perform in the West. But after he gives a concert in Cologne, the GDR authorities announce that he will not be allowed to return home. Lothar Loewe, a reporter for West German broadcaster ARD, is among those to sense that the mood in East Berlin is shifting. When he gives a less-than-rosy report of the situation on a December edition of ARD’s Tagesschaunews show, the GDR authorities waste no time in expelling him. The comments that led to their decision went something like this: “Everyone knows full well that border troops are under strict orders to shoot people as if they were mere rabbits.”

Border, Politics, Opposition, Culture, West, East

03:43
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April 1984
Friedrichstadtpalast opens

The Friedrichstadtpalast opens in East Berlin. It has the largest stage in the world and can seat 2,000 theatregoers. Jürgen Nass, who was the assistant director at the time, talks about how the West actually inspired the performances that were presented as examples of good, socialist entertainment.

Contemporary Witnesses, Culture, East

02:01
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April 06, 1965
Louis Armstrong in East Berlin

The guest performance of the year in East Berlin: legendary jazz musician Louis Armstrong performs at the Friedrichstadtpalast. Armstrong does not comment on the political situation, saying that he is interested in his audiences and not in the Wall.

Culture, East

00:46
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January 29, 1972
Premiere of Ein Kessel Buntes

A Kettle of Colour premieres on GDR TV. The "Kessel" was the most glamorous and successful evening show ever broadcast on GDR television, fronted by “the three dialecticians”. Lutz Stückrath was one of the presenters. He recalls the programme's success and the initial freedoms the three satirists enjoyed when the show was launched.

Culture, East

03:13
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1970
Everyday life in East and West

The West Berlin Senate is trying to attract young skilled workers from the Federal Republic to address the rising average age of the city's residents. In 1970 one fifth of West Berliners are already over 65. A Berlin Bonus aims to attract young people to the city. East Berlin, on the other hand, is a popular destination for young people. Those who study here try to stay if they can.

Everyday Life, West, East

02:32
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