Vanishing Borders – The Rediscovery of Eastern Germany, Poland and Bohemia –

“The historic heartlands of Germany – towns forever linked with Goethe, Luther, Bach, Augustus the Strong and Frederick the Great – were long almost inaccessible beyond the Iron Curtain. Since 1989, a fascinating lost world has re-emerged from the communist cocoon …

In this colourful and richly textured book, a seasoned Central European correspondent presents a vivid picture of East Germany and its eastern neighbours before, during and after their astonishing revolutions.

Whether he is reporting on crucial meetings of presidents and chancellors, uncovering the faded splendours of Potsdam, joining a prisoner of war reunion at Colditz or celebrating the region’s many architectural treasures, Michael Farr makes an informed, critical yet always entertaining companion.

Analysis and revealing anecdotes evoke the political scene and everyday life in Leipzig, Dresden, Weimar and parts of Berlin once beyond the Wall. Side trips take Michael Farr from Warsaw to Gdansk and the Baltic Riviera, to Prague the Golden City, and bicycling in Bohemia to Goethe’s beloved spas. The result is a marvellous guide, and also far more – a book that brilliantly captures today’s Germany as it slowly adjusts to unification.”