Talk, Discussion

The eastern German coal regions are experiencing structural change in two ways: the past and the future are competing for interpretive authority. While the rupture of 1990 is being renegotiated in today’s debates, the energy transition and broader industrial transformation demand a forward-looking perspective.

How much of the experience of the Wende is reflected in today’s energy transition in eastern Germany – and what does this mean for shaping the future of these regions?

These questions will be discussed by Marieke Reimann (journalist and author) and Raj Kollmorgen (sociologist, Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences) as part of the Silbersalz Festival 2026.