SPIEGEL ONLINE
- May 11, 2012
The files from the massive archive of the former East German secret police are currently scheduled to be handed over to united Germany's national archive in 2019. However, the head of the special agency that currently handles the files says it should retain responsibility for the controversial documents. By Stefan Berg more... [ Forum ]
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- April 26, 2012
Since reunification, people have been abandoning eastern Germany in search of jobs and a better life in the west. But many are now returning home. Homesickness is one reason, but improvements in the job market and quality of life are also attractive. By Maximilian Popp more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- April 19, 2012
Belief in God varies greatly between different countries, but the percentage of believers in the former East Germany is lower than anywhere else, "anchoring the secular pole" internationally, according to a new report by an American research organization. But even in this unpious region, the rate of believers increases with age. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- March 14, 2012
Mozambique-born Ibraimo Alberto was the only black man in the eastern German town of Schwedt. But half a year ago, after 21 years, he fled the daily racism and moved to the western city of Karlsruhe with his family. The social worker and former boxer is trying to come to terms with his experiences. By Dominik Drutschmann more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- February 07, 2012
She may be "tough" and "sporty," but the exiled widow of East Germany's former leader still misses home. Margot Honecker longs for the forests and wild mushrooms of Germany, the author of a new book about her husband says. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- December 06, 2011
German officials have raided the homes of six former SS soldiers suspected of taking part in the massacre of 642 French civilians in 1944, prosecutors said this week. But the investigation may not get far. Little evidence was found, and the suspects were either unfit for interrogation or denied the allegations. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- December 02, 2011
The town of Wünsdorf near Berlin was once the headquarters of the Soviet military in East Germany and home to some 50,000 soldiers. But after the Red Army's departure in 1994, the buildings were left to crumble. One photographer explored the grounds, and was fascinated by their silent charm. By Jörg Rüger more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- November 24, 2011
New research has revealed that the notorious East German secret police, the Stasi, had a network of spies in West Germany that was much bigger than previously known. Thousands of people worked as informers and spied on their colleagues and friends -- including a priest who filed reports on a young Joseph Ratzinger. By Gunther Latsch and Udo Ludwig more... [ Forum ]
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- October 06, 2011
Pedestrian crossing figures vary, but the first ones in the world to wear hats originated in East Germany 50 years ago. Surviving a post-reunification attempt to have them removed, the jaunty figures have since gained cult status. SPIEGEL ONLINE looks back at their history and explores the competition. By Christian Gödecke more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- August 26, 2011
A massive bunker built in the late 1960s to house East German naval operations in the event of nuclear attack has opened to visitors for the first time this summer. The Cold War time capsule reveals volumes about how the communists planned for nuclear Armageddon. By Siegfried Wittenburg more... [ Forum ]