The material legacy of the GDR enjoys almost cult-like veneration today. From the “Goldbroiler” restaurants and the air-cushioned lawnmower to crockery and cutlery in GDR design – all these vanished objects are from a country that no longer exists. This anthology is intended to give an impression and overview of what life looked like and how it developed during the GDR’s 40 years. It also shows what influence the party and its ideology had on people's everyday lives. The selection of about 200 objects from the most diverse areas of life demonstrates the limitations placed on people’s lives through the GDR’s economy of scarcity, but also recounts how people were still able to fulfil their wishes and dreams. In this way, a colourful and diverse picture of the reality of life in the GDR from the end of the war to the fall of the Wall is established on the basis of these objects. With the help of detailed photographs by Thorsten Heideck and Adrian Serini, as well as texts from historian