I have returned to the city many times since then, but for this anniversary I wanted to take a different path. Rather than looking at exhibits or listening to speeches, I wanted to get a more experiential taste of that era-changing moment by jumping into a Trabant and seeing for myself what it was like to drive around in such a much-maligned vehicle.

And instead of going to the first point in West Germany – as they all did at the time – I chose to explore the rich centers of the East German state of Saxony and, in particular, Germany’s “golden triangle”. Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz – cities that were on their last legs in 1989 but are now reborn and revitalized. I wanted to have a Trabi experience in each one.

But first I had to learn how to use this tool. It may have a very simple engine and a body made of a material often confused with cardboard, but it requires a great deal of skill, creativity and focused practice. There is a switch to turn the gasoline supply on and off. There’s a choke to help with ignition (to be fair British cars had them at the time too), there are four gears (and one reverse) controlled by a small lever located just behind the steering wheel (you have to develop a very quick feel for where they are).

Needless to say, there’s no brake booster (pump slowly, maintain adequate distance from the vehicle in front), no power steering (three-point steering is more like a workout), and no fuel gauge on earlier models (maintain sufficient distance from the vehicle in front). had to use a dipstick). There’s an indicator (it doesn’t close automatically) and there are manually controlled side mirrors and sun visors; but as with most things in the car, you’re constantly worried they’ll fall into your hands every time you touch them. them.