Storytelling – VOICES

The VOICES project seeks to collect and share the personal stories of residents from six case study cities across different countries: Rotherham, Redcar and Middlesbrough in Northern England, and Lauchhammer, Eisenhüttenstadt and Weißwasser in Eastern Germany. Once thriving centres of industry, these cities have since faced significant decline — and we want to hear from those who have lived through these transformations. Our focus is on listening: what can we learn from the people who once formed the backbone of their communities, only to see their industries fade away? To uncover these experiences, we are hosting storytelling cafés, inviting residents to come together, share their memories, and explore the untold stories of their past. In addition, we are conducting in-depth interviews and producing a series of podcasts, all of which are featured here.*

Digital archive: OUR VOICES

“We haven’t given up hope”

After losing her job following German reunification, Christine (75) refused to give up. Reflecting on a life defined by change, she talks about solidarity and disappointment, and explains why she still believes in a brighter future for Weißwasser.

“I was always a frontrunner at work”

Andreas (85) returned to the GDR from West Germany as a young man. As a bricklayer, he was involved in the construction of Eisenhüttenstadt. After the Wende, he started his own business.

“I am glad that the EKO gave me this opportunity”

Monika (86) arrived in Eisenhüttenstadt in 1968. She qualified as an IT specialist at the EKO. She feels grateful for the opportunities available to her at the time, but has mixed feelings about the upheavals of 1989/90.

“We practically had to reinvent ourselves”

Peter (78) worked as a travelling construction and installation worker for 20 years after German reunification. When he returned to Weißwasser, he had to readjust to many things. He remains actively involved in his town to this day.

“They cut us to the bone”

For Martina (77) from Weißwasser, work has played a major role in her life since childhood. Today, she misses the sense of social cohesion and calls for more solidarity in society.

“For me, living in collapse was normality”

Christoph (40) moved from Eisenhüttenstadt to Berlin in his early twenties. He talks about the vanished places of his childhood and the collapse of social infrastructure, growing up during the so-called “baseball bat years”, and self-organized youth work.

“Even the coal pennies won’t solve our problems”

Georg (69) looks back on his years in coal in the town of Lauchhammer — a time when hard work meant good money. Today, he views the energy transition with a critical eye.

“People in the village don’t know it was a colliery village”

Beatrice (93) speaks about growing up in the pit village Kiveton, with family having lived in the village ever since the pit was first sunk. She remembers the turbulent times of the miners’ strike and a close-knit community.

“All I remember is the smell of metal”

Anthony (79) worked his way up from labourer to engineer – a lifetime in Rotherham’s steelworks. When the industry faded, all that remained was the memory of pride, camaraderie, and the lingering smell of metal on the skin.

“You were the lifeblood of the nation”

Katrina (56) talks about the community spirit in former pit villages, how it continues to bring together and separate groups of people, and highlights the pride that came from powering and protecting the nation.

“The community feel has gone”

James (62) has lived in Rotherham nearly all his life and his family worked at Steel Peach & Tozer. He looks back at a family history intertwined with the steelworks and the way of life connected to these.

“The miners’ strike had a real big knock-on effect up here”

Mary (77) talks about growing up around pits and steelworks and her work in supporting the local community through child support and retraining initiatives, which were necessary once the pits and steelworks started closing.

“I realised that I could be made redundant at any point”

Graham is in his late 60s, a retired electronics engineer who worked at Lackenby steelworks in Redcar and witnessed the industry’s rise and fall.

“There used to be so many children in every flat”

Maria (66) talks about her time as a teacher and pioneer leader in Lauchhammer – and how the civics taught in the classroom sometimes did not match the reality in the factories.

* At the request of some participants, the statements published here have been anonymised, and some of the names used are pseudonyms.

PODCASTs

Produced by students from the University of Greifswald, these podcasts trace the changing fortunes of the cities at the heart of the VOICES project. Working independently from first idea to final edit, the students met and interviewed local residents, weaving their stories into the finished episodes.

Lauchhammer Stories

“‘Lauchhammer is the industrial cradle of Lusatia, and we are proud of that”

How is Lauchhammer changing — and what makes people want to stay? Jannik Steinke spoke with Carmen Sahl from the MehrGenerationenHaus and Gerlinde Michaelis from the Kultur- und Heimatverein about structural transformation and life in Lauchhammer today. (Click here to read the podcast transcript in English)

Jannik Steinke is studying Communication Science at the University of Greifswald. The podcast was produced in 2026.

Weißwasser Stories

“Socio-cultural spaces are a safe haven for democrats”

Juliette Holtz discussed with Patrick Pirl, an employee of the association that runs the TELUX socio-cultural centre in Weißwasser, and Franziska Stölzel, a social scientist at the Potsdam-based RIFS research institute, about the importance of cultural institutions and youth work in Weißwasser. (Click here to read the podcast transcript in English)

Juliette Holtz is studying for a Master’s degree in Political Science at the University of Greifswald and has a passion for journalism, particularly local and cultural journalism and podcasts. This podcast was produced in 2025.

Eisenhüttenstadt Stories

“The vibrant life that used to be here in this city just isn’t there anymore”

Friedrich Schwarz spoke to Peter Eggebrecht, who worked as a lawyer in Eisenhüttenstadt for several years, about the origins of the planned city and its significance during the GDR era – and found a strong sense of pessimism about the city’s development after reunification. (Click here to read the podcast transcript in English)

Friedrich Schwarz is studying Communication Science at the University of Greifswald. The podcast was produced in 2026.

Lauchhammer Stories

“From the leftover pits, people try to recreate a sense of home”

Eric Recknagel met with Jörg Hertel, chair of the Lignite Heritage Association (Traditionsverein Braunkohle e.V.), in Lauchhammer to talk about the city’s history. Along the way, he encountered the term “miners’ death” (Kumpeltod) – a phrase that means something very different from what it seems. (Click here to read the podcast transcript in English)

Eric Recknagel is studying Management and Law at the University of Greifswald, where he is also active in the student theatre group. The podcast was produced in 2025.

Weißwasser Stories

“The glass production has given rise to a culture that still exists today”

Juliette Holtz had the opportunity to speak with Antonia Mertsching, who served as a member of the Saxon State Parliament from 2019 to 2024, on the subject of structural change in Weißwasser. The podcast was produced by Helena Kater. (Click here to read the podcast transcript in English)

Helena Kater studied for a BA in Public Law and Communication Studies at the University of Greifswald, and is now preparing for the State Examination in Law. Juliette Holtz is studying for a Master’s degree in Political Science at the University of Greifswald. This podcast was produced in 2026.