to the person:
I was born in 1950 in Osterfeld (near Zeitz)
and spent my childhood between agriculture, blacksmith and bottled beer trade
in my parents' house. This is also how the interest in the printed products on
the beer bottles developed. In 1960 I moved to Weimar, but I remained true to my
hobby. In the following years I expanded the collection by establishing exchange
connections and systematically writing to the breweries (at that time this was
still effective).
The time available for the hobby was limited
by studies and family - but no task was thought of. After the start of work in
the IT department of a large company in Weimar, the exchange contacts were
cultivated more intensively again and possible collector's meetings were attended.
During this time the idea of establishing a national collector's overview and
the cooperation with the Labolog-Club in Usti n.L. was born. The existing computer
technology in the company could be used for this purpose.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, I changed
jobs to the IT department of a medical accounting office. This task took me a
lot of time until 2014 and so there was very little time left for the hobby.
By necessity, I almost completely stopped exchanging with collector friends and
due to the lack of exchange material, no more meetings could be attended. Only a
longer sick leave enabled me to revive my leisure time activities. It was during
this time that the idea for this catalog was born.
Intentionally the collection area "GDR" was
taken, because it is a closed area and my main activities were in this time.
I would be pleased if this catalog would be accepted as a help and extended by
a cooperation. I am using the time now available to me at retirement age
extensively to improve the quality and scope of the catalog. I will also
endeavor to insert illustrations of further labels from other legal sources.
If the wish exists, there are also thoughts on how the compilation can be used
for other things (e.g. missing lists, automatic exchange offers, etc.) So I'm
interested in suggestions to improve this overview (especially bug fixing etc.)
as well as to develop it further. From issue 07A on, the area of the whole of
Berlin was included in the catalog, because a separation according to the
political situation in GDR times to the time before 1950 is difficult to map.
Weimar, January 2020
© Harald Burger, P.-Schneider-Str. 60,
99425 Weimar, Tel.: 03643
505485, Mail: H. Burger