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During the last 'May Day', Magdeburg, 1 May 1989: A May Day rally [2/3]

OBJECT INFORMATION

Info

May 1 1989
Magdeburg
Created By: Udo Schleime

License: Creative Commons License

Across from the grandstand at the last socialist May Day parade; 1 May was designated a state-guaranteed holiday with the establishment of the first constitution of the GDR in 1949, see also DGB: Erster Mai, translated and retrieved on April 23, 2009

Depicts

banderole, banner (flag), crowd, May Day, military parade

Context

everyday life, holiday, May Day, military parade

Places

Hungary, Magdeburg

Text in image

1. Mai 1989

[...]ten Plän[...] / 1. Mai!

Other items in this set

Memory

"During the last Socialist May Day parade in Magdeburg, we stood directly opposite the grand stand and I can still remember the propaganda slogans coming through the loudspeakers while the delegation went past.

I was interested in the GDR and in particular, in day-to-day life there. But the only way of becoming acquainted with it was by means of a private invitation – not through a tourist organisation and without restriction. This spurned me to seek and find private contacts with East Germans, such as for example, through neighbours who knew people in the GDR and once, when on holiday in Hungary. And that's how we ended up spending the long May Day weekend on a private visit in Magdeburg. We were happy to go along to the May Day rally with our hosts and later on to the fair where we had a large Frankfurter and a beer."

Udo Schleime