During the post-war years in the GDR - former East Germany - pretty much every village or town had a ballroom. Here, at the weekend, people would meet up to dance and socialize and briefly forget about the daily grind. After the reunification in 1989 and the fall of the Soviet Union the decline of these places started. There was less interest and less money was available for the upkeep and most are now in a serious state of neglect. There were two in the town where this ballsaal is located (this one is in better condition than the other) and this explore had an unexpected bonus. In fact, three for the price of one - in addition to the ballroom itself there was also a separate area that would have been a cafe and also the former living quarters of the proprietor.
In the above photo, which is taken at the bar of this ballroom, I am guessing that this lady was the proprietor until ill health meant that she could no longer run it and unfortunately it wasn't viable to continue.
In the above photo, which is taken at the bar of this ballroom, I am guessing that this lady was the proprietor until ill health meant that she could no longer run it and unfortunately it wasn't viable to continue.
