Alexandra Prinzessin von Wrede

At the table

The iconic West German Toast Hawaii

In West Germany during the 1970s, Toast Hawaii became a popular, iconic meal consisting of sandwich bread topped with ham, a canned pineapple ring, and processed cheese, often garnished with a maraschino cherry.

What people wore

The practical Dederon smock apron

Many women in the GDR wore colorful sleeveless smock aprons made from Dederon, a robust and quick-drying synthetic polyamide fiber, for housework and in various workplaces.

Getting around

Drastic reduction in long-distance travel time

For comparison, the travel time from Abensberg to Berlin by train in 1974 was 9 hours and 27 minutes, significantly faster than the 19th-century horse-drawn carriage time of nearly 72 hours.

What it cost

Consumer electronics costs in East Germany

In 1989, East German consumers paid 2,300 Mark for a fully automatic washing machine and 4,900 Mark for a color television.

Music

The Mundorgel songbook ritual

For many young people in the 1970s and 1980s, the Mundorgel, a small red book of folk songs, was an essential companion during church youth trips, campfires, and hikes. Its distribution was a ritual, with booklets often collected back after use to be reused by others.

Daily life

State-managed housing and low rents

In East Germany, housing was state-managed with very low, stable rents that remained frozen at 1936 levels, often costing households only about 5 percent of their income. Moving into a new apartment required authorization, and due to housing shortages, married couples often had priority for available units.