Everyday Life in the GDR – A Photo Book Captures It in Color and Uncensored

Thomas Hoepker Photographed Everyday Life in the GDR - Uncensored - Thomas Hoepker's Rare Color Photos Reveal Life Behind the Iron Curtain

The way life in East Germany was portrayed to the outside world was usually dictated by the SED leadership. Photographer Thomas Hoepker's images, however, escaped censorship.

In 1974, Hoepker became the first West German photographer granted official permission to work in the GDR. He moved to East Berlin and traveled the country from there. Alongside his then-wife, journalist Eva Windmöller, he reported for Stern magazine from the "workers' and peasants' state." Officially untroubled by the Stasi, the couple still frequently felt the presence of East German authorities.

At a time when documentation of life in the GDR was largely under state control, Hoepker managed to paint an authentic picture of the country—one that revealed the reality of its people beyond official propaganda. His photographs capture both everyday moments and the historic upheavals of the Wende era, featuring ordinary citizens as well as stars and artists.

As time went on, Thomas Hoepker also became a chronicler of the GDR's slow disappearance.

Life in the GDR – What It Was Really Like

Hoepker's color photographs, taken between the early 1970s and 1990, depict life in East Germany with empathy, precision, and his signature humor. The authorities did not always appreciate this—and though Hoepker was allowed to do his work, they made sure he knew he was being watched. "While I tend to react defensively to any kind of threat, Thomas Hoepker, whenever possible, would deliberately provoke uniformed GDR officials," recalls his then-wife and colleague Eva Windmöller.

His new photo book, "DDR / East Germany Colour Works 1972–1990" (Buchkunst Berlin, 288 pp., €58), brings together 145 color images, many published here for the first time, offering a glimpse into daily life in the "other Germany." The volume is accompanied by an essay from singer-songwriter and poet Wolf Biermann.

Hoepker's photographs are also on display in an exhibition at Galerie Buchkunst (Oranienburger Str. 27) in Berlin until February 28, 2026.