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AI and the Trabant – The cult car of the GDR


AI provides the automatic transcription, translations and quiz questions in the timeline of the ZDF video.

33 years after the 1st unification celebration, students who only know this event from history lessons can (have) write appropriate essays about it with AI support.

At that time, there was a welcome money for visitors and refugees in the amount of 10% of the pictured banknote.
Under the old D-Mark banknote with a north Hessian motive is the with the Bing chat, i.e. the with GPT-4 supplied answer to the following order:
On October 3, the German reunification will be celebrated. Create a suitable school essay which highlights the special features of the Trabant car in the GDR. Also describe the reasons for the payment of welcome money. 

Kassel and the Brothers Grimm on the 1000 DM bill

Kassel, as the city in the center of Germany and the Brothers Grimm were depicted on the 1000-DM bill at the time of reunification

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The Trabant – A Symbol of the GDR

The Trabant, affectionately known as the “Trabi”, is a symbol of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Produced from 1957 to 1991, the Trabant became the best-selling car in East Germany and represents an era in German history1.

The Trabant was a small car with front-wheel drive that had room for four adults and luggage2It was considered affordable and rugged, but also loud1Four models were produced: the Trabant 500, Trabant 600, Trabant 601 and the Trabant 1. 11The Trabant 601 became a symbol of political change in 1989, when images of East Germans crossing the border into West Germany were broadcast around the world1.

A notable feature of the Trabant was its body made of thermoset, a hard plastic made from recycled cotton waste from the Soviet Union and phenolic resins from the East German dye industry1This made the Trabant one of the first cars with a body made from recycled material1.

The Welcome Money

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It was another notable facet of this period. Instituted in 1970 by the federal government of West Germany, it was granted to every citizen of the GDR as well as German-born Poles3Originally, the welcome money was 30 German marks and could be claimed twice a year34In 1988, the amount was increased to 100 DM, but could only be claimed once a year34.

The welcome money was intended to improve conditions for GDR citizens traveling to the West3It was applied for and disbursed at city and town councils or local banks and savings banks upon presentation of the identity card or passport3.

Both the Trabant and the welcome money are important symbols of German history. They represent a time of change and reunification and remind us of the challenges and triumphs of this significant period.