Nostalgia is a funny old thing. Once the old pink mist settles over the past, the most unlikely events suddenly don’t seem quite so bad. This is especially the case when the present sucks. For many East Germans, today’s world isn’t what they hoped for when the Berlin Wall came down. Unemployment remains double what it is in the West, making some people feel that life in the Communist past wasn’t such a bad option after all.

The not so shabby Trabi

This manifests itself in a number of bizarre ways. Take the previously much maligned Trabant. A car so small it looks like something you might find in Toys-r-us, with an engine that a well-powered lawnmower would put to shame. This object of ridicule is now a much prized possession. You can even go on Trabant tours of Berlin.

If you have a fetish for browny orange wallpaper, spartan furnishings and stern Politburo portraits, you won’t be disappointed.

Going back East

Owning a car is one thing. Recreating an East German hotel, hardly the epitome of luxury, is another. But that’s exactly what two former East German circus performers, Daniel Helbig and Guido Sand have done. Located in a former East German Plattenbauwohnung – the kind of mass-produced concrete apartment building that came to symbolise life in the communist bloc, “Ostel” transports its guests back to the good old days of pre -1989.

If you have a fetish for browny orange wallpaper, spartan furnishings and stern Politburo portraits, you won’t be disappointed. With pictures of former Socialist Unity Party leaders, such as General Secretary Erich Honecker and Prime Minister Horst Sindermann respectfully hanging on walls, don’t expect to escape the party’s watchful gaze for a second.

Not all rooms are created equal

But while it may be communist in name, like the old Soviet dominated Eastern Bloc, it’s not truly communist in nature. For a start, not all the rooms are equal. For the more discerning guest, there’s the “Stasi Suite”, while if you’re on a budget, you can bed down in the “Pioneer Camp”.  Whichever you choose, you’ll be assured of authentic communist-era furnishings pillaged from private homes and the dusty back rooms of furniture dealers.

You may, however, be happy to hear that Ostel’s dedication to authenticity and the retro chic of “Ostalgie” doesn’t extend to the bed sheets.