The Haus der Geschichte in Bonn

A struggle for survival

Cold, hunger, illness: Those who survived the war must now survive the peace. People leave the destroyed cities in droves in search of something to eat - with giant backpacks, in the hope of snatching a couple of potatoes from the fields.

The Haus der Geschichte in Bonn

Raisins, not bombs

When the Soviet Union blockaded West Berlin from 1948 to 1949 to force the half of the city into its sphere of influence, the western allies supplied the people of West Berlin from the air. Because, instead of bombs, the aircraft brought food and supplies - and candies for the children - the Berliners dubbed them "raisin bombers." The picture shows the interior of one of these planes.

The Haus der Geschichte in Bonn

Economic miracle on wheels

Ferdinand Porsche designed the VW Beetle in the 1930s, a car that everyone could afford. But its success story began in the 1950s. Soon, the Beetle came to embody German quality and economic success. Because it ran and ran and ran, it became an export phenomenon. More than 21 million vehicles were sold, with the last one built in Mexico in 2003.

The Haus der Geschichte in Bonn

Have a seat

The Haus der Geschichte contains several original rows of seats from Germany's parliament in the 1950s – not to mention the speaker's rostrum. Whoever sits down here will quickly notice: The seats are spectacularly uncomfortable. Long speeches would have been torture.

The Haus der Geschichte in Bonn

Escape from the daily grind

Movie theaters were called Lichtspielhäuser. In the 1950s they played a lot of light romances or Heimatfilme, a sentimental German genre shot in the great outdoors with a clear and simplistic moral message. For many people, it was a chance to escape the hard work of their daily routine.

The Haus der Geschichte in Bonn

Bella Italia

Many Germans were fond of Italy, but few could afford a trip to Rimini. A little bit of Bella Italia had to come to them - such as spaghetti and ice cream. Every mid-sized German city had at least one "original Italian ice cream parlor."

The Haus der Geschichte in Bonn

Soviet tanks against protesters

As West Germany settled into a comfortable postwar routine, East Germans' unhappiness was growing. When a worker uprising began in East Berlin on June 17, 1953, the Russians sent in the tanks to stop them, including this T-34.

The Haus der Geschichte in Bonn

A nation divided

Because many people in the east had voted with their feet to leave communist oppression and come to the west, the East German authorities walled them in. These scenes show the barbed wire that marked the beginning of the division of Berlin in August 1961.

The Haus der Geschichte in Bonn

The wall jumper

It is one of the iconic images of the Cold War: the East German soldier leaping over the barbed wire that divided East from West. Whoever wants to see how this division ended in the reunification of Germany should pay the Haus der Geschichte a visit - in person or online.

Author: Simon Bone | Editor: Richard Connor