10 November 2009

The DDR still lives!

Ive posted this before but a repeat seems to be appropriate now. This one is thanks to Strange Maps whic has lots of fascinating maps, some fictional, some bizarre: many are real, but obscure or virtually forgotten. Although not a map as such there is an entry about Ernst Thallman Island .

The GDR still lives? Well technically it appears so. Cayo Ernesto Thaelmann, formerly Cayo Blanco del Sur, is 15km (about nine and a half miles) long and 500m (a bit over a quarter of a mile) wide island just off the coast of Cuba in the Gulf of Cojones, sorry Cazones. It is uninhabited, other than occasional tourists.

On the occasion of a state visit in June 1972 Castro made the island a gift to the GDR and it was remnamed in the memory of pre-WWII German Communist leader Ernst Thalmann. One of its beaches was renamed Playa RDA (GDR Beach) and in August 1972 there was an event to mark the island's on the island's ceremonial transfer which involved the unveiling of a bust of Thälmann

After reunification Germany made no claims for the territory and thus the island technically represents the sole landmass of the former communist state The Cuban government now views the gift as a symbolic gesture rather than a concession and would probably not be happy if settled by Germans of any political strip

The Bust of Thallman survived the downfall of communism but could not withstand the ravages of Hurricane Mitch in 1998.

I for one await the return of the DDR, Trabanys and dubious looking female shot putters with fine, bushy beards. Better still Gorgon George Galloway will have a brand new leader whose arse he can lick to his heart's content


6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Long live the DDR

Stephanie, Mama Dramatist said...

Hey!! If no one wants it, let's take it and make it our own!!

Yeah, it'll be like the Island if Misfit Toys!! Only, we'll be the Island of Idealistic Literary/Art-Minded Folks Who Like Wine!! Yeah!!

Or, we can use it to sent the likes of Britney Spears and Kanye West so they can just disturb each other and not the rest of us....

James Higham said...

Some of those DDR ladies weren't bad.

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SnoopyTheGoon said...

Wow, thanks for sharing, Jams. Soon as I can scare up enough money for a ticket, I am going to declare war on DDR and take the island for myself. Then petition UN for recognition.

jams o donnell said...

Some were James!

Stephanie I love the idea!

Declarewar and invade Snoopy it could be a sun kissed occupation zone!