'Ostalgia' sweeps Germany

Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall "ostalgia" or nostalgia for the East has led to a surge in popularity for East German products.

Communist East Germany's architectural relics - like the television tower in the heart of Berlin.

But there are some empty spaces where buildings of the German Democratic Republic or GDR once stood.

Since the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago, many East German brands - from Trabant cars to beauty products - are most often found in museums.

But now - the East is back in fashion - and not just among those who grew up there.

The trend is called "ostalgia" - a mix of nostalgia and "ost", the German word for east.

Some from the west find it hard to understand.

Gerd Dietrich, a professor at Berlin's Humboldt University, says "ostalgia" allows East Germans to reconnect with their home country, which no longer exists.

"I think the majority of East Germans don't have any interest in sweet talking the GDR dictatorship. Most of them have developed this ostalgia, with an emphasis on remembering the GDR, as a reaction against the de-legitimisation of the lives of East Germans or life in the GDR since 1990."

Some eastern brands like Spreewald gherkins and Rotkaeppchen sparkling wine have become successful in reunified Germany.

As has the former East German traffic light man, known as a "Ampelmann".

He's replaced the standard West-style traffic light man at road crossings - and the traffic lights image adorns a wide range of tourist souvenirs, says Markus Heckhausen from "Ampelmann".