Berlin: A Boon For Travellists?

[Tommy Katkins]

Greetings Gents,

Myself and two well suited companions have a trip planned to Berlin in late October. We intend seeking out prewar, if you will, Third Reich era civilian attire, accessories and wot knot of gentlemanly nature. This will be our first such escaped to Germany and although our list of flea markets and vintage shoppes is substantial we have little intelligence on what's where and which should be avoided lest we returned empty handed or, worse still, are faced not with the apparel we desire, but sundries of the bygone DDR.

So, to these ends, being serious fellows, who when it comes down to clothing detail, spend no time in play, I write this open request for information from those brothers on this illustrious site who may have ventured forth across the Rhine to suits unknown before us. Any advice will be appreciated (and if none can offered then think of us three when we enter the breach for our britches, crying 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!').

Yours Sincerely, Tommy Katkins & Co.

Blighty

 

[dhermann1]

All I know is that I recently read a piece saying that since Berlin has no rich people, there's very little nightlife worth talking about. There are only lower to middle class working people there, and few major companies have headquarters, either. So nobody has the kind of income to squander on enjoyment. Let us know what you discover.

 

[BellyTank]

I really can't understand where that information came from- Berlin's nightlife is what nightlife is all about. Always has been.

Germany does have something of an economic blank spot right now but there's always money- and where there's poor, there are rich.

So- the clothes and the beer will be cheap and the nightlife good.

B
T

 

[dhermann1]

I really can't understand where that information came from- Berlin's nightlife is what nightlife is all about. Always has been.

That's what I would have thought. Just goes to show you: "Believe none of what you hear, and half of what you see."

 

[carter]

Originally posted by Tommy Katkins
This will be our first such escaped to Germany

Once you've escaped to Germany, I hope you enjoy your escapade and bring home some wonderful items. Photos will be eagerly awaited.

 

[Tommy Katkins]

That's what I would have thought. Just goes to show you: "Believe none of what you hear, and half of what you see."

Maybe its merely part of the ongoing campaign of disinformation about the rest of the world the US seems to have going on. I don't know. Its true that a lot of people are broke in Berlin right now, my German friends who would like to return cant for economic reasons, but more pertinently to the concerns of Fedora Lounge its also true that Berlin is a crossroads for European vintage. And the historic presence of the US army means the possibility of unexpected exotica for us Englanders. As its is we're serious boys of the Irish Diaspora, even with Junior coming alone to bring down the average, we're got a collective 60 years vintage buying under our belts (from the years when we didn't need belts). Regarding Berlin there seems to be 9 or 10 flea markets of a weekend before we commence with the vintage stores. So, they'll be no nightlife for us. More like a lager and a funny sausage before being hung up on a rope in a Berlin flophouse primed for start before sunrise.

although there are gems to be had, the UK is pretty picked over, anyone will tell you its been that was since the early-90s so we've made a plan to do all the major flea markets in the free and no so free world. It's not completely tested but any of you planning a trip overseas should think about the European countries who remained neutral during WWII and thus continued their clothing manufacturing without concession. Junior returned from Barcelona the other week with a fistful of interesting 1940s short sleeved shirts and nice prewar knitwear so there's something to be said for the theory.

Thank you for the pleasant conversation...we'll keep you informed. And I post a report with map references just in case any of you fine lads are going to follow. I'm just a bit worried about the traveling. I just hope the cattle trucks don't mess up our overcoats...

Yours,

Tommy Katkins

 

[Sin Khan]

Strangely enough, I would recommend that you might want to look into Buenos Aires, Argentina for pre-world war two german clothing items. I know it sounds strainge, but one of my old bosses was from argentina and he told me often that many people who fled Germany before the war went to south america and specifically brazil and argentina. Argentinians have a flair for fashion and are not know for throwing out collectable things as far as I know. Also, most of the people who live in Argentina all live in the capital city of Buenos Aires. This makes that city a gold mine of exchange. I hear the capital of brazil is the same way, everything that is special or rare can be found in the capital cities of both countries. Also, I don’t think many people think of these places when searching for German antiquities because they fail to consider all the refuguees from germany who fled before the war.

Just a thought.

Have a good trip.

 

[Tommy Katkins]

Thank you Sin Khan...that would truly be hard travailing indeed. My hat goes off to you for the suggestion. Tracking down ODESSA's old suits surely is a far cry from cycling around car boot sales in the Sussex countryside on a Sunday morning.

I'll speak with the boys and see if we can pencil South America in when we've dealt with Central Europe, Scandinavia, and Japan...better pack my KD. I was thinking in a couple of years staying with friends in Florida and by train as much as possible to friends in Canada am maybe getting a flight to Cuba...but that's another story...

Yours, the Simon Wiesenthal of vintage

 

[Edward]

I'm afraid I'm little help... I enjoyed the markets round Museum Island when I was there, but that was dominated by bits and pieces of soviet era kitsch, nothing in the vein of what you're looking for that I can recolloect. Good places if you want a Sovet Officer issue-style Vostok watch, though.

Enjoy Berlin, it's a fabulous city. Two friends of mine are just back from a few days there, and i'm very jealous.

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

many people who fled Germany before the war went to south america and specifically brazil and argentina.

And later, quite a lot of Nazis chose to emigrate to the same countries in 1945/46.

 

[carter]

Originally posted by Shaul-Ike Cohen
And later, quite a lot of Nazis chose to emigrate to the same countries in 1945/46.

Wasn't Argentina where Eichmann was finally brought to ground?

 

[Tommy Katkins]

And later, quite a lot of Nazis chose to emigrate to the same countries in 1945/46.

Yeah, an obvious choice really (for those with out the technical skills to be welcomed as long lost friends by the US government) with all those long established German speaking communities in South America...

 

[Tommy Katkins]

I'm afraid I'm little help... I enjoyed the markets round Museum Island when I was there, but that was dominated by bits and pieces of soviet era kitsch, nothing in the vein of what you're looking for that I can recolloect. Good places if you want a Sovet Officer issue-style Vostok watch, though.

Enjoy Berlin, it's a fabulous city. Two friends of mine are just back from a few days there, and i'm very jealous.

ta very much Edward...I don't mind a splattering of DDR in it place, but anyroad we're treating our long weekend as a reconnaissance trip...taking 1000 Euro a piece, we also buying to sell and if it looks promising we'll return in the Spring older and wiser...I guess we'll come away happy enough. Apartment from the obvious sport of trying to spot National Socialist OAPs we all have a penchant for old desk lamps and I'm quite partial to the old Bauhaus ceramics, glass and their postwar followers...

 

[Tomasso]

Maybe its merely part of the ongoing campaign of disinformation about the rest of the world the US seems to have going on.

 

[Mid-fogey]

Why don't you ask...

...Lady DeWinter? She lives in Berlin.

 

[LadyDeWinter]

Hello,

Mid-fogey sent me a message that you Tommy and some companions intend to visit Berlin.

First of all, there are not only poor people in Berlin, there is also money. And if there were a lot of poor people I think this is not a reason not to visit a city. Berlin is and its history is very intersting. And Berlin is quite a green city with lots of nature. And of course Berlin has a nightlife, it depends what you expect.

Unfortunately there are no flea markets where you can find pre war attire. Your can buy a lot of 70s stuff and as sombody of you mentioned you can get GDR uniforms and also russian uniforms. But to find pre war clothes is very hard. But I recommend this shop:

http://www.glencheck-berlin.de/kontakt.html

Germany has a very small "vintage" scene. Well, Germany is a very small country in comparison to the US.

I can also recommend the following seamstress, you MUST visit her shop, this shop is really unique (she speaks English):

http://www.charmingstyles.de/

There is also the so called Swing Cafe:

http://www.swingdiele.de/frameset.htm

I hope you guys will have nice time in Berlin. Have fun

Regards from Berlin

 

[Edward]

Apartment from the obvious sport of trying to spot National Socialist OAPs

lol A German lady I know in academia here in the UK once told me her grandmother still makes the occasional comment along the lines of "say what you like about hitler, at least he made the trains run on time!" and so on. I'm sure there are still a few folks around who supported the regime on one level or another, though to be honest I think the likelihood is that the vast majority of folks were - to paraphrase Clifford Bradshaw - sleepwalking and didn't really care about politics enough until it was too late... It is strange to imagine though given this historical remove that the nice old lady at the bus stop could have been sieg heiling with the best of them, but then on the other hand where I grew up (Northern Ireland), anyone you met could have been tied up in some very nasty (nastier, sometimes) stuff, so I guess it's almost a universal thing.

 

[cookie]

lol A German lady I know in academia here in the UK once told me her grandmother still makes the occasional comment along the lines of "say what you like about hitler, at least he made the trains run on time!" and so on. I'm sure there are still a few folks around who supported the regime on one level or another, though to be honest I think the likelihood is that the vast majority of folks were - to paraphrase Clifford Bradshaw - sleepwalking and didn't really care about politics enough until it was too late... It is strange to imagine though given this historical remove that the nice old lady at the bus stop could have been sieg heiling with the best of them, but then on the other hand where I grew up (Northern Ireland), anyone you met could have been tied up in some very nasty (nastier, sometimes) stuff, so I guess it's almost a universal thing.

'

My brother lives there and commented to me that the 65 plus generation is still heavily influenced by the Hitler Youth culture that was embedded in them (he has had older now retired colleagues who remembered Hitler's birthday!). When you think that Hitler did not appear in public after about 1941 and they fought on to May 1945 with only the Bomb Plot in between it shows how when you get to the youth early enough you can get them for life.