Life as a Cold War East German teenager

    Welcome to episode 20  of Cold War Conversations. Today we’re talking to Anke Holst was born in the GDR during the 1970s in Rostock. Anke has returned to Rostock after many years abroad and now provides tours of GDR sites in Rostock. Our conversation highlights how different life was in the provinces of … Read more

Eyewitness to the 1968 Prague Spring

Welcome to episode 17 of Cold War Conversations In 1968 today’s guest was 15 year old at the same school in Prague as Czech communist leader Alexander Dubček’s son. Jan Čulík provides a valuable eyewitness account of the heady days of the Prague Spring and the subsequent Warsaw Pact invasion. He provides some insightful views … Read more

Sabine – A Cold War East German Childhood

Welcome to Episode 15 of Cold War Conversations. Today we speak to Sabine who was 13 when the Wall opened. We hear about her childhood in East Germany and gain great insight into life at the time, the pressures on her family and her first steps into West Berlin. I found Sabine’s story very personal … Read more

My Stasi file is as thick as a phone book

Welcome to Episode 12 of Cold War Conversations. Today’s guest is someone I’ve been trying to speak to for some time as his story is a particularly fascinating one. We’re chatting with Mark Reeder a musician and music producer who has been involved in the Berlin and international music scene since 1978, starting as Factory Records … Read more

1960s School Road Trip across the Soviet Union

Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on Google PodcastsBecome a Patron! Welcome to Episode 10 of Cold War Conversations. Today we’re moving away from the GDR and Czechoslovakia to the Soviet Union. Jeremy Poynton was a 16 year old school boy in 1968 when he embarked on a memorable trip by road from Leningrad to Odessa. … Read more

Cloak & Dagger in Cold War Prague

Welcome to Episode 9 of Cold War Conversations. Mark Baker is an independent journalist and travel writer who’s lived in Central Europe for more than two decades. I heartily recommend his travel website www.markbakerprague.com which is an eclectic mix of stories about his adopted hometown of Prague and stories from when Central Europe was the “Eastern … Read more

The Strange World of Football in Cold War East Germany with Craig McCracken

<Welcome to Episode 3 of Cold War Conversations where we hear about the strange world of football in East Germany and even if you are not interested in football it’s a fascinating chat. Craig McCracken runs the website, Beyondthelastman.com, described as 20th century football writing and nostalgia in a skilled and cultured groove. One of … Read more