Traveling was one of the most popular leisure activities in the GDR – whether with a vacation spot on the Baltic Sea or on a camping tour through Czechoslovakia (CSSR). Traveling abroad was by no means a matter of course: Freedom to travel was severely restricted, and visiting western countries was usually only allowed after retirement. Also trips to the “socialist foreign country” are expected to be applied for in most cases. From 1972 onwards, visa-free travel in the CSSR and to Poland was possible and used more and more. We are preparing a special exhibition for the summer of 2022 on this very topic – the transnational tourism.

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