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Deserted landscapes
Living and working landscapes in the new German federal states

After the Wende Helmut Kohl promised that the new federal states will soon be booming economically .

But now 16 years after this promise those landscapes are still not booming economically. Instead one sees pictures of urban, social and civilizing decay. Now this expression is rather used as an emblem for the decentralization of East Germany.

Since the Wende East Germany has to fight against the loss of its residents. Most of the East German cities are marked by empty streets. The vacancy of 1million apartments in 2001 lead to the program City Renewal East. This means that subsidiary funds are used to tear off empty houses. The changes caused through the decrease are not just an economical and social challenge, but also a cultural one. They are without any example in the German history since the Industrial Revolution.

The theme of the final year paper is the photographic dispute with the visible consequences of the economic change and the demographic development in the new federal states.

Lars Bober, January 2007

 

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