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The photographs by Christian Fenger, which depict Mozambican contract workers in Eberswalde before the fall of the Berlin Wall, are significant historical documents. They shed light on a little-known aspect of GDR history and contribute to the culture of remembrance by making the lives and experiences of the workers visible.
Fenger’s photographs offer a valuable perspective on migration and integration, which remains relevant today. The images encourage reflection on societal developments and the handling of migration. They also illustrate the cultural identities of the Mozambican workers and their interactions with GDR society.
Additionally, the photographs provide space for political reflection on the instrumentalization of labor in socialism and the conditions under which these workers lived. Emotionally, the images evoke empathy by highlighting the human aspects of the historical events.
Fenger’s work significantly contributes to raising awareness of the history of migrants in the GDR and enriching current debates on migration and integration. A search for clues
From 1985, the GDR government increasingly recruited citizens from Angola alongside workers from Mozambique in order to meet the demand for labor. In the summer of 1987, one hundred young men from Angola landed in Berlin-Schönefeld, full of hope and with great expectations for a new future. Their destination: Eberswalde. They came to the GDR with the aim of completing an apprenticeship.
The move to the GDR seemed promising for the Angolans. A civil war had been raging in their home country since 1975. Life in the GDR promised them not only an education, but also security. But the reality was different.
One of the Angolans did not survive his stay in Eberswalde. His tragic death still haunts the town to this day.
A “master plan” for the development of Alex has been around for a long time – star architect Hans Kollhoff designed it for the 1993 urban planning ideas competition. At the time, he prevailed against 13 well-known architectural firms. His design included the construction of ten 150-metre-high residential and office towers.
But that was twenty years ago. Not much has happened since then, only a few shopping centers have been built or renovated. Of the ten high-rise buildings that Kollhoff once planned, not a single one has even been started – until now. Watch all videos !
It is September 5, 2006, shortly before 2 pm. Six good-humored gentlemen in suits meet in Schönefeld for the ground-breaking ceremony for the new Berlin airport, which at the time still bore the working title BBI: Berlin Brandenburg International. In its pompous, somewhat overblown style, „Berlin Brandenburg International“ perfectly matched the feeling of Berlin at the time.
Ten journeys cost one euro. Rail travelers know the nostalgia that these glass time capsules evoke in adults. Mothers and fathers who used to stand with their parents at the windows of the coin-operated model machines at the station and now with their own children. Here the ICE always came and still comes on time. In an infinity eight, the journey leads past legendary Faller houses, kiosks with mushroom roofs, picturesque castle ruins, futuristic 60s villas and pretty half-timbered houses. A journey from Fallerville, through Fallerville, to Fallerville is the perfect trip! But the small, tidy world in the glass boxes is under threat. Over 40 installations once stood in Germany’s train stations, but one location after another is now being lost. Not because the business is no longer worthwhile, but because a bakery store generates far higher rental income for station managers. Contracts are being terminated. This is how Hamburg, Münster, Stuttgart and Wuppertal were lost. There are currently still 21 model railroad layouts in German stations.
The International Congress Centrum (ICC) in Berlin, once one of the largest congress centers in the world, has been empty since 2014 and was closed due to alleged asbestos contamination and a major need for renovation. Since then, the Berlin Senate has been discussing the future of the building. Various options are up for debate, including a comprehensive refurbishment and revival as a congress center, a conversion for cultural or commercial purposes or even the demolition of the building. The high refurbishment costs and the ICC’s listed status are complicating the decision-making process. The Berlin Senate is currently re-examining various concepts to ensure the sustainable use of the building. The future of the ICC remains uncertain for the time being. Take a look inside the building