Ostpro Berlin Opens: East German Products Draw Nostalgia and Debate

The annual Ostpro Berlin fair, held 23–25 October 2026 at the Karlshorst racecourse (Trabrennbahn Karlshorst, Treskowallee 159), opened its doors on 23 October. The sales fair specialises in consumer products from eastern German states — food, cosmetics, books, ceramics, clothing and household goods — many of which are unavailable in mainstream supermarkets. Admission was €3, with children up to ten admitted free. To mark the opening, the Berliner Zeitung published an interview with Professor Katrin Brunk, a marketing professor at the Europa-Universität Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder), who argued that nostalgia for East German products should not be conflated with nostalgia for the DDR. She stated: 'One can decidedly reject the dictatorship and still positively remember parts of one's daily life.' Brunk noted that of approximately 700 consumer brands from the DDR era, roughly 100 still survive today, and that events like Ostpro provide a crucial retail channel for smaller manufacturers who cannot secure shelf space in large retail chains. Products carry both practical value (taste, familiarity) and identity significance for those who grew up with them.