When it comes to German unity, the differences are often still in the foreground. After 30 years of reunification, however, it is much more important: What connects us?
30 years of German unity – SWR3 was in Potsdam for you!
30 years of German unity were celebrated in Potsdam – we have included you in our Instagram story!
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Listen to highlights
3.10.2020
Clueso on unity: “We smelled the West”
- Duration
- 12:29 min
What are your east-west stories?
On October 3, 2020, Germany will celebrate the 30th time Day of German unity. Thinking in terms of “we” and “you” – in “West” and “East” – is often still widespread. Prejudices are difficult to get out of the way. People in the west are arrogant Better know, and the in the east everyone is lazy. To show that it is not the differences that make us, but the similarities, we asked you: What are your East-West stories? Whether it’s a love story, a new home or good friendships: listeners from SWR3Land told us their stories.
Sandra and Thomas Liebscher, Stuttgart.
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Sandra and Thomas from Stuttgart have known each other for 10 years. “Every year in October you have to think carefully about it: If the wall hadn’t come down, we wouldn’t exist as a couple.”
SWR3
“But beautiful blue eyes – he speaks Saxon”, that is her first thought when they meet for the first time. Coincidentally, at a World Cup public viewing in 2010. Today they both have the same surname and have two boys. Henri is one, Hannes three years old. Thomas comes to Stuttgart from the Erzgebirge for an apprenticeship and quickly learns something Breschtlingsälz-Weck is. “But not everything is so clear,” says Sandra. “I was so angry after our first jog. I thought he was waiting for me around the corner ”. He waited. But at home. One linguistic misunderstanding – that they have overcome. Just like Sandra’s latent prejudice of the “lazy standard Ossi”. That crumbles on your first visit to the Ore Mountains. “You were so hardworking.” She has got used to the fact that her mother-in-law gives her a to-do list for her housework. Go there, talk to each other, that helps, says Thomas.
If the wall hadn’t come down, the two of us wouldn’t exist as a couple and the four of us wouldn’t exist as a family.
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Listen to highlights
25.9.2020
Crumbling Ossi prejudices
- Duration
- 1:32 min
Dietrich Feist, Jena.
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From “where did I get in here?” To “here I stay”: Dietrich Feist moved from Heidelberg to Jena and discovered what he had in common with his hometown.
SWR3
He agrees immediately. Your own team in one of the leading institutes worldwide? He has to do that. At this point in time, climate researcher Dietrich Feist only knew his workplace and the Jena West train station. “It wasn’t renovated at the time, everything was sand and gravel, where did I get into?” He said at the time. It’s a blind date with the city, with the East. He is slowly beginning to see parallels with his home town of Heidelberg. The two cities even had the same postcode before the fall of the Wall. Understanding is growing for people too. As a Wessi, he feels no reservations about himself.
These are colleagues or neighbors and eventually friends.
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He feels people’s primal fear of losing everything again. And: He senses a strong front against the right in the city. “If that were different, I wouldn’t be here either.” He and his family only wanted to stay for five years. Today there are 14. There are no plans to move yet.
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Listen to highlights
25.9.2020
Blind date with the East: Dietrich Feist from Jena
- Duration
- 1:50 min
Iris and Uli Hochhausen, Frechen.
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“We are the East-West group – and thus German unity,” says Iris.
SWR3
“It can’t be over now,” says Iris Hochhausen from Frechen. It starts on a USA tour. On a western evening, she and husband Uli get to know other couples. A total of twelve people. Six from East Germany, six from the West. Howdy. After twelve beers at the latest, all prejudices have been overcome. That was twelve years ago. Since then, the tour group has met every year. Nice alternation in east and west.
We always congratulate each other on the day of German unity.
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Listen to highlights
25.9.2020
12 people, 12 trips: the east-west tour group
- Duration
- 1:32 min
Katja Hirth, Stuttgart.
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She actually wanted to go back to Frankenberg after completing her apprenticeship – today Katja still lives in Stuttgart.
SWR3
“I’ll go back after my training, it’s only been 3 years.” Katja Hirth is sure. She has just started training in Pforzheim. To an automobile saleswoman. Her boss asks her to practice her dialect. Otherwise she wouldn’t sell any cars in Baden-Württemberg. The homesickness to return to Frankenberg in Saxony is great. She has a lot to explain. Whether it is snowing in the east a classmate seriously wants to know. She gets to know and love Stuttgart – her new home.
From their point of view, October 3rd should be abolished. “That you realize that it’s just a Germany and that’s it.”
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Listen to highlights
25.9.2020
“Get rid of October 3rd!”: Katja Hirth from Stuttgart
- Duration
- 2:37 min
Hans Steiner, Karlsruhe.
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Hans Steiner fled the GDR – today Karlsruhe is his home for him.
SWR
Nils Dampz
In the summer of 1989 Hans Steiner was raging. His in-laws have already fled the GDR. And the climate engineer also decides: he wants to go to the German embassy in Prague first and then to West Germany. He has relatives there who want to help him restart. He basically leaves everything behind. Wife, family, friends, house, job and ends up in Karlsruhe, “my new home”.
Because I didn’t know whether you would even get there, whether you might not be arrested beforehand – ‘Psst, be quiet, the Stasi is listening!’ – I really only packed a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat and some clothes.
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Listen to highlights
29.9.2020
First a refugee from Weimar, then a career in Karlsruhe: Hans Steiner
- Duration
- 2:41 min
Stefanie Wally, Dossenheim.
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As a little girl, Stefanie Wally from Dossenheim raised a balloon with a map – it landed in Saxony
SWR
Nils Dampz
And all because of a balloon! You know these balloon competitions. So buy a balloon, attach a card and the one who flies the furthest gets a prize. Stefanie Wally from Dossenheim received the most blatant award ever: through this she met her best friend Anke to this day. “We are sisters,” say the two. The special thing: As a little girl, Steffi lets the balloon fly in Dossenheim – and it lands over 500 kilometers further with Anke in Saxony! At that time the wall was still standing. Steffi told SWR3 reporter Nils Dampz how things continued.
The Stasi read along and urged Anke to break off contact – otherwise her place at university would be in danger. The friends continued to write to each other anyway.
What I find incredible is that a person gives up his future for me and tells them very clearly: ‘I won’t do that.’
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Listen to highlights
1.10.2020
Stefanie Wally: “East / West sisters” thanks to a balloon
- Duration
- 1:38 min
30 years of German unity: the greatest hits and their history
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The greatest hits and their history
30.9.2020
Wind of change – Scorpions
- Duration
- 3:42 min
<meta itemprop="caption description" content="Nein, freedom, This wonderful ballad by Westernhagen actually had absolutely nothing to do with German reunification. It was more about writing a song about artistic freedom. It was only in the live concerts that the song became an all-German anthem.”/>
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The greatest hits and their history
30.9.2020
Freedom – Westernhagen
- Duration
- 4:43 min
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