East Germany, gone but not forgotten

"The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there."

British author LP Hartley's 1952 novel The Go-Between was set in Victorian England, but its famous opening line could have been written about 21st century Germany, because for around one-third of its land mass. The past is a foreign country, East Germany, where for more than four decades, they did do things differently.

But 30 years ago, on Oct 3 1990, it vanished off the map as less than 12 months after the Berlin Wall was breached, East Germany was absorbed by West Germany, and they became one country again.

Much has happened since then, and the Cold War, whose frontline it was, has, if not completely ended, moved on.

With every passing day, physical traces of East Germany fade away, and it might well have slipped into obscurity altogether were it not for an unlikely pop culture revival, keeping the memory alive.

Two hugely successful movies have helped. Goodbye Lenin (2003) is the tragi-comic tale of a young man's efforts to shield his frail mother from the reality of the Wall coming down.

The Oscar-winning Lives of Others (2006) is a drama, about how a member of the country's secret police, the Stasi, becomes drawn into the lives of a couple he is watching.

Television drama trilogy Deutschland 83, 86 and 89 focuses on a fictional East German spy, following his missions at the height of the Cold War, and beyond, and those who cannot watch can read or listen.

Anna Funder's book Stasiland: Stories from behind the Berlin Wall is a best seller. East Germany, also known as the German Democratic Republic, features prominently in the Cold War Conversations podcast series, and there is even another podcast devoted exclusively to the life and times of the German Democratic Republic, called Radio GDR.

Its creator, Shane Whaley, grew up in Wales where his interest was aroused by a childhood passion for stamp collecting.

Three decades later, sharing that fascination with fellow enthusiasts worldwide is a major part of his life.

"At this stage, I knew nothing of the politics but East German stamp artwork was amazing so I began reading up about the people and places on them," he said.

He said he has been thrilled by the podcast's reception. "We have fans who are experts on architecture in East Germany, or cinema, or soccer, who all bring their areas of knowledge, and we all learn," he said.

Whaley has come in for accusations of bias from both sides of the political divide but insists he is strictly impartial and just interested in, as its title says, the life and times of the GDR.

"I set it up to build a community with other people around the world who share my interest, to share stories and learn together," he said. "We did an episode recently about the relationship between the GDR and Chile, and if anyone out there can tell me about relations between the GDR and China, please, get in touch.

"One of the biggest things I've learnt, which was never covered in the West, is that a lot of people in the East would have been happy to keep the socialist way, just with a bit more freedom. Yes, many people did want reunification, but also a significant amount would have just liked reform."

East Germany only existed for 41 years, and has now been dead for 30. Whaley never visited it, but his podcast keeps its memory alive.

"When you mention East Germany, people always mention the Berlin Wall and the secret police," he said. "But there was so much more to it than that."