Tourists find surprises behind East Germany’s forbidding wall

Press, 25 February 1986, Page 12

Tourists find surprises behind East Germany’s forbidding wall

By

JACQUELINE STEINCAMP

A visit to East Germany . . . sounds a bit like a visit to a concentration camp. There’s ‘That Wall,’ and the people who can’t get out over it! But there is more, much more, than the wall — if you’re into history, architecture, the arts, or simply just want a glimpse of socialism.

Extraordinary museums, art galleries, history-filled churches, historic castles and hunting lodges. Everywhere you go, there’s music being made . . . operas, concerts, song recitals, choirs, and organ recitals. And they all cost so little!

Stay away if you want bright lights, endless sunshine and dancing till the small hours. Almost everything closes down around 10.30 p.m. (though the trams seem to clank through the streets all night long). It’s only in the top tourist hotels that there’s anything like a nightlife. So that’s where the swinging Germans go. As a result, tourists dance side-by-side with slightly sinister, stocky “functionaries” and their decorative companions, or the young smart set which looks like the smart set anywhere. Trundling around the country in our “Icarus” tour coach with its whining differential, we saw both the East Germany we’d been afraid we’d see — plus the often overlooked reality of its vast and rich cultural heritage. We saw tiny villages straight out of “Fiddler on the Roof’; we saw blackened, dreary city streets; we saw gracious houses and places rich in history; we saw lively, beautiful young people. We saw dying forests; we saw no birds except pigeons, we experienced air pollution in September that obliterated the sun 20 degrees above the horizon. Indeed, they’re now saying that anywhere in Central Europe should be visited only in spring or early summer if you want to see it at its best. Many cities are extremely ugly. War devastation meant that apartment blocks and offices went up fast, often using recycled materials. Low rents, plus massive national reparations to the Soviet Union, has meant little money for frills or maintenance. But now the debts are paid off, and it’s clear that money is being spent on quality buildings and beautification. Because they escaped the worst of the bombing, many of the smaller towns are a visual delight: Weimar, Eisenach (the birthplace of J. S. Bach); Gotha, Erfurt, Meissen, Neubrandenburg, and Potsdam. Though most have their opera house and concert hall, these smaller places offer not much more entertainment than small towns do here. Only a few restaurants and taverns, few cinemas, ihnited shopping. Weimar had the upmarket shops of anywhere we satf.

East Berlin was a pleasant surprise — even for those who’d been there quite recently. Work is going full steam ahead for Berlin’s 750th anniversary in 1987*. There is widespread restoration of bombed areas, of historic buildings and churches. There are new and attractive apartment blocks going up, and improvements being made to parks and recreation areas.

With East Berlin’s fifteen theatres and concert houses, eighteen cinemas, numerous museums and art galleries, parks, swimming pools, sports and fitness complexes, there’s a lot to do and see. Our 12-day tour was a package deal organised by the East German tourist office in London. We stayed solely at Interhotels, the largely Japanesedesigned chain built to cater to the top end of the international market. In them we experienced comfort, courtesy and cuisine that would have cost at least a hundred pounds a day in Britain.

Yet our entire tour (including return flight London-Dresden) only cost one hundred and eighty two pounds (SNZ4BO approx.) Had we travelled independently, but stayed in these hotels, the cost would have been astronomical.

In nearly all the Interhotels, superb fitness centres are open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. They offer swimming, “violent water” massage, saunas, solariums, exercise room and massage. In Berlin’s Palast Hotel, oxygen multi-phase therapy is offered under medical supervision. This is described as being of general benefit to the body, and for cardiovascular problems, impaired vision and memory.

Shopping? Tourists are well advised to stick to the Intershops which accept hard currency and West German marks only. These are situated in all the major tourist hotels and at strategic placesthroughout the country.

There you will find amazing bargains. Imagine — Scotch whisky at $6 a bottle; caviar, smoked salmon and magnificent chocolate at very reasonable prices. Exquisite leather clothing, perfumes, sportsgear — even furniture. Our programme gave us free time and options along the way. There was also no compulsion to stay with the group. Many • split off and explored independently, returning to the hotel at night And wherever you walk in East Ger-

many, you feel safe. No drugs, no drunks, no unemployed.

Travel notes:

The tourist office of the German Democratic Republic in England is: Berolina Travel Ltd, 20 Conduit St, London WIR BTD. Flights to East Berlin can be booked through British Airways British Airways return flights to West Berlin cost from about $240 upwards. For East Berlin accommodation: VEB Refeeburo der DDR, Be-/ zirksstelle Touristenbetreuung, ZimmervetO mittlung, 1026 Berlin, PSF 77.