Photographing a Decade of Difference in East Germany

"Ten years after his journey through an East Germany reminiscent of pre-war days, photographer Stefan Koppelkamm took another look at his pictures. What had become of those old facades? He returned to the Neustadt (new town) area of Dresden. It isn't difficult for him to find the same buildings again: 'I noted down the addresses the first time, and for some pedantic reason I even wrote down the focal lengths I used.' With the old photo in his hand, he quickly found the location.

But after the first stop he would have preferred to cancel the tour altogether. The buildings had been renovated. 'In quite a normal, almost trivial style,' said the designer. 'The thrill of the first trip was gone.'"

Der Spiegel has a slideshow of some of Koppelkamm's photos.