Why Does No One Visit East Germany?

[@MyHeartsBeat]

Thank you! As a person living in East-Germany I always feel underrepresented when it comes to "places you should visit in Germany", because most of them are in the western part of the country. Yet we have so much history and nature here that people are missing out on.

[@anderson._.._.8801]

Yeah communism ruined East Germany.

[@jefwisse1957]

I agree.

[@MrFrozenFrost]

Ask the frisians or northern Germany in general.

[@Dadadin]

i am from SW germany... ofc, first i think of Black Forrest and Bavaria. but right after that, all that comes to my mind is in east germany.

[@simtill]

Would love to see more sights in Eastern Germany, though I would not feel safe or comfortable due to the high levels of racist behaviour, racist violence and the number of AfD voters.

[@afjo972]

I‘m a Spaniard living in Eastern Germany and I don’t regret my decision at all. I love the architecture, the people, the nature and the climate (yes, correct!) I love the snowy mountains in winter, the flowering season, the warm summer, the golden autumn,…

[@Tobi-ln9xr]

Thuringia is literally one of the most beautiful parts of Germany with a beautiful landscape, castles and cities like Erfurt or Weimar which still have their huge old towns from the Middle Ages.

[@fwnm]

Sure but... what about AFD? I do not want to provoke, be sure. I simply feel VERY uncomfortable there.

[@christinehorsley]

@@fwnm I don’t feel uncomfortable or unwelcome there at all. Though I speak a different dialect and my husband only broken German (he’s American) - maybe it would be different if he wasn’t “white”.

[@fwnm]

@@christinehorsley it would... be sure mom ^^

[@timv.8974]

@@fwnmso you should feel uncomfortable in every part of Germany now cause the AfD is on the rise and not only in the eastern half of the country. Now for real, I have never experienced any kind of negative feedback from people in eastern Germany. Very nice people indeed.

[@fwnm]

@@timv.8974 wrong. Betlin and the west are not the same. The east is often really negative to maximum. They should learn democracy finally. If AFD will form government there, millions of people will leave the country. With them many well educated tax payers who are originally migrants. Than I think they will understand the issue. Fascism there is a problem. Chrupalla, Hoecke, Krah...and all of them support Russia! Think about it.

[@tabishumaransari]

I'm Indian and I lived in a small village in Brandenburg, near Potsdam, for more than a year. I had just arrived and didn't speak the language and was probably the only non-German or non-European living in that village. Barely anybody spoke English and I managed with broken sentences and sign language. However, all said and done, looking back I have a good feeling about it. The residents of the village were kind and nice. I also managed to explore some nature areas of Brandenburg. I want to read this book by the German writer Theodore Fontane: Wanderungen durch die Mark Brandenburg (walks around Brandenburg). Unfortunately, an English translation Isn't available. I'm slowly learning German and maybe one day, I can fully grasp that book in its original form and explore Brandenburg like Fontane.

[@Nuss-j4s]

Welcome! Why did you moved into a village, sounds quite atypical for someone coming from another country? Willkommen. Warum bist du in ein Dorf gezogen, klingt recht untypisch für jemanden der aus einem anderen Land einreist.

[@tabishumaransari]

@@Nuss-j4s Danke! I moved at a time when the first phase of the Ukrainian war was in its full swing forcing hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians to leave for safer havens. Many came to Germany, particularly in the Berlin - Potsdam region. There was already a housing crisis and it became even more acute with the war. The government (understandably) prioritized housing allocation to the desperate Ukrainians so the other immigrants like me had very little choice in terms of housing. I lived in some temporary places for a few months but when I failed to secure a long term rental contract in the city, I finally took an available apartment in a village. I had no choice. I lived there for 13 months. Now I live in Potsdam but still go to the village to get a haircut. I had become friends with the barber.

[@tabishumaransari]

@@Nuss-j4s Danke! I moved to Germany at the peak of the war in Ukraine. So my arrival coincided with a massive influx of Ukrainian refugees to Germany. Hundreds of thousands of people arrived in Germany, particularly in the Berlin-Brandenburg region. The government had (understandably) allotted most of the available housing for the desperate Ukrainians fleeing the war, which meant that other immigrants such as me struggled to find housing in an already very tight housing market. I lived out of a suitcase in temporary accommodations for many weeks but when I failed to secure a long-term rental contract in the city, I had no choice but to find housing in the village. I lived there for 13 months until the situation eased and then I managed to find a place in Potsdam. I still visit the village to get my haircut - I had become friends with the local barber there.

[@scottevil4531]

Wow Fontane is good, but also hard, because the authors of the era of realism are known for long descriptive sentences. Once you can read that book fully you defenetly wont have problems with the german language anymore. But I think in todays Brandenburg, a bike ride would be the better choice to a walk, because they build so many long bike ways all throughout the state.

[@tabishumaransari]

@@Nuss-j4s Danke! Yes it's definitely atypical. I did try every bit to get an apartment in Potsdam where I work but the acute housing crisis meant I had to live out of a suitcase on temporary short-term sublet rental contracts in various places. The only place where an affordable and a long term rental apartment was available was in the village. It was in a detached building atop an abandoned restaurant - quite scary at first but slowly I made my peace with it. I don't live there anymore but still visit the village to get a haircut - I had become friends with the local barber!

[@gretchenobrien6099]

My husband and I traveled to Germany last year. While there, we visited Muhlhausen, where my grandparents were born and raised. We explored much of Thuringia, and loved driving around that part of the country. We also really enjoyed Erfurt and stayed at Wartburg Castle in Eisenach.

[@DenzelPF-jl4lj]

I'm originally from the black forest but I moved in 2011 to the former East and I have stayed here (now Leipzig) ever since. Here are my recommendations that are not covered already in the video in no particular order: Weimar, Erfurt, Wartburg castle in Eisenach, Quedlinburg, Potsdam, Schwerin, Stralsund, Rügen, Darß, Thüringer Wald, sächsische Schweiz, Spreewald... I love to travel and explore but even for me there are still so many more places to visit 😊

[@justTyping]

Go to Usedom and meet your now follow saxonies ;) But also because it is a nicew place, if you werent there yet.

[@antonsamarin6249]

Grimma, Torgau, Rochlitz, Meißen, Bautzen - this list can be endless :)

[@esoxhead]

Dresden nicht vergessen

[@justTyping]

@@esoxhead Ich hatte es so verstanden, dass sie in Dresden war. Daher ist eine Empfehlung wohl unnötig. ;)

[@mardiffv.8775]

And the Brocken mountain.

[@IEnzymelF]

I'm dutch and made a small road trip though eastern Germany last year. I don't regret it at all. Visited Sächsische Schweiz, Dresden, Leipzig and ended the trip in Berlin. I had a great time!

[@TypeAshton]

It's a nice area for a road trip as well. The Autobahn in that part of the country was extremely nice and not a ton of traffic.

[@val-schaeffer1117]

They are friendly towards you, because you are white. Dutch in Deutschland is NO racial diversity.

[@UlliStein]

@@TypeAshton Yes, the autobahn in east Germany is new and the one in the west needs to be refurbished urgently.

[@That_guy-s2l]

​@@TypeAshton It is to be recomended to not travel on the Autobahn (espeally the A4 towards Poland) on Fridays or bevore Holydayes. At that time the polish workers return home to spend time with their family and the A4 is overflowing and crouded.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Now I'm wondering which places the dutch usually visit in Germany? Just the north west, that is already pretty similar to the Netherlands? The south, because there are real mountains, not just Vaalserberg?

[@dnocturn84]

In my job I still encounter collegues from West Germany, who will have to visit our company in East Germany due to their job, saying, that this is the first time they ever went to the east - in the year 2024! Holy s**t!

[@weizenobstmusli8232]

I live on the former border, in the west. And I work in the east. I was talking to a colleague from the east who admitted that she just visited our small town on the western side for the first time. 35 years after the reunion. It's like 1km from her hometown. She goes to the supermarket in the east which is like 5km more. She never even thought about that there is a town in the west with a (even nicer) supermarket.

[@paulszki]

I think, that's just people not really enjoying traveling inside their own country much. There's plenty of people from Berlin who've not yet bothered visiting, say Cologne, Hamburg, Munich etc. Also for people from East-Germany even if you're not interested in visiting other German cities: If you're not flying, you still kind of have to go through west-germany to get to the more popular Destinations like the Netherlands, France and Italy. Like, no shade on Poland but I've lived in Berlin for most of my life and STILL I have never visited Warsow or Krakow (though polish friends keep telling me I need to check out Krakow, so it's on the bucket list). So for people from Western Germany unless you're from Hamburg and want to visit Prague, there isn't ever much reason go through East-Germany, because comparatively it's also just not as big as West-Germany. And then you have Hauptstadt-Neid (Capital Envy?) and people often dismissing Berlin as dirty, boring and uninteresting. Which is a thing in most countries it seems. Brittish people not from London will tell you they hate London. French people not from Paris will tell you that Paris sucks etc. And those people aren't even wrong. If you're already from France, then the "frenchness" of Paris isn't really a draw anymore and it's just a big touristy version of whatever city you already live in. So really, eastern Germany is just smaller and is neighbouring Poland, and a lot of people don't care much for visiting Berlin so in my mind it's not a huge surprise if People from the western parts haven't ever been here.

[@dnocturn84]

@@weizenobstmusli8232 But I think this version is pretty rare. I've never encountered a single east German like this, while I encountered multiple people like this from the west like this. All east Germans, even the most stubborn, visited the west immediately after the borger opened. I mean, there was Begrüßungsgeld waiting for them - everybody I knew went in the very first week and purchased new TVs, radios, clothes, etc.

[@derwolf3006]

Im 21 I never have been to the West either.

[@dnocturn84]

@@derwolf3006 Really? That's surprising for me. Just school trips alone took me more than 3 times into the west. Your school never did? Where are you from? edit: Hamburg - city trip, Düsseldorf - musical Grease, Cologne - city trip, Cologne Cathedral, Berlin - city trip, reunification and government/democracy (ok, mostly east, but western parts are there as well), Brühl - Phantasialand Soltau - Heide Park + a nearby natual resort - falconry, forsests, mountains + a nearby former border installation / museeum + a nearby former spa (Bad Sooden-Allendorf, a mixed trip, main purpose visit to Wartburg castle) + multiple pass-throughs to get to other int. destinations, such as London, Paris and our final school trip to Italy The nearby destinations might be a result of me living right next to the border with Lower Saxony, former restricted zone. But I can't immagine being "forced" to so many places in school (and I propably forgot something here as well) and you were not.

[@liesascott5414]

The area North of Berlin, Mecklenburg, is absolutely beautiful. Lot's of lakes and soft Forest you can walk in, no dangerous wild animals.

[@afjo972]

My travel recommendations in the east: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: - Schwerin - Ludwigslust - Wismar - Bad Doberan - Heiligendamm - Rostock - Warnemünde - Zingst - Stralsund - Sassnitz - Binz - Greifswald - Zinnowitz - Bansin, Heringsdorf, Ahlbeck - Ueckermünde - Mecklenburgische Schweiz - Güstrow - Waren (Müritz) - Neustrelitz - Feldberger Seenlandschaft Brandenburg: - Potsdam - Werder - Brandenburg an der Havel - Bad Belzig - Beelitz-Heilstätten - Lausitzer Seenland - Spreewald - Tropical Islands - Schwielochsee - Kloster Neuzelle - Märkische Schweiz - Schiffshebewerk Niederfinow - Ökodorf Brodowin - Kloster Chorin - Werbellinsee - Nationalpark Unteres Odertal - Schloß Boitzenburg - Templin - Ziegeleipark Mildenberg - Rheinsberg - Perleberg Sachsen-Anhalt: - Stendal - Salzwedel - Havelberg - Magdeburg - Bernburg - Wörlitzer Gartenreich - Dessau Bauhaus - Wittenberg - Halle - Merseburg - Naumburg - Unstruttal - Stolberg - Wernigerode - Quedlinburg - Blankenburg - Brocken Sachsen: - Leipzig - Torgau - Dresden - Meißen - Pirna - Bastei - Festung Königstein - Bad Schandau - Altbau - Zittau - Oybin - Görlitz - Bautzen - Bad Muskau - Freiberg - Augustusburg - Oberwiesenthal - Zwickau - Plauen - Burg Kriebstein Thüringen: - Erfurt - Gotha - Eisenach - Hainich - Mühlhausen - Skywalk Sonnenstein - Weimar - Jena - Altenburg - Saalfeld - Bleiloch-Stausee - Rennsteig - Meiningen - Bad Salzungen

[@weinhainde2550]

❤👍

[@debbie_target]

East Germany has a lot to offer. My boyfriend and I travlled 16 days through East Germany. Hiking in Eisenach, visiting the Gedenkstätte Buchenwald,spending the afternoon in Weimar, sightseeing in Leipzig and Dresden.We really underrestimated the Military Museum in Dresden. Moving on to Potsdam and ending the trip with five days in Kühlungsborn.

[@peter_meyer]

East Germany is highly underrated as a tourist destination. So many places to go. Mecklenburg Lake District, Spreewald, the baltic coast, many more places and of course the big three, Berlin, Dresden and Leipzig. But there's a ton of smaller towns like Quedlinburg which are really worth visiting. There's even a race track, where the 2024 German MotoGP race is held.

[@TypeAshton]

The Architecture nerd within me also looks forward to visiting the Bauhaus in Dessau.

[@murti1565]

Ppl in east germany are generally unfreindly. Especially towards tourists and foreginers.

[@hannesromhild8532]

@@murti1565 just to you.

[@Jay_Johnson]

I've only been to Germany once and it was to the Mecklenburg Lake District.

[@SharienGaming]

theres also the little area known as "sächsische schweiz" which is absolutely lovely to hike through =) i remember a lot of fun visits there back when i was a kid

[@Redrally]

Why is no one mentioning Bad Schandau? Go there to explore the Sächsische Schweiz - the rock faces there are AMAZEBALLS

[@sylviadrees3761]

Only 12 minutes by car from Bad Schandau to Königstein Fortress😍

[@holger_p]

Too small, and also not really a place to stay. They have about 300 beds. That's more included in "Dresden environment".

[@aoilpe]

And take a ride with the Kirnitzschtalbahn…

[@matzeb.2540]

and visit Kuhstein, Bastai and Schrammsteine, btw in this Area the Tom Hanks Film, Cloud Atlas was filmed ;-)

[@wolfgangpagel6989]

@@matzeb.2540 Bastei And you could visit Schneckenstein where they mined the Saxon Diamonds.

[@barryreed8345]

My wife and I have almost exclusively visited Eastern Germany. The Vogtland, Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz, Berlin etc. It is amazing tgere.

[@tokre8880]

you have been in the Vogtland ? have you been to Schöneck, Bad Elster or Klingenthal? it's music to my heart to read that some people appreciate my Heimat

[@LutzSchröder-k1l]

I take this video to do something I wanted to do for a long time. I'm a big fan of your videos inclusive the older videos about the 'Black Forest Family'. So, thank you very much for this video. I grew up in the 60's / 70's in East Germany (Uckermark area). After the re-unification 1990 I moved to Cologne area for work. Meanwhile I had the oportunity to work and live in several coutries around the world. (e.g. Switzerland, Singapore) And I'm realy grateful for this experience. However, although I love all your videos I hade the impression that the eastern part of Germany was kind of under -represented. This is now over. So, THANK YOU !!! again. I can agree to all of your comments. I appreciate your balanced perspective. The reconstruction took much longer than expected (30 years ago), but now East Germany is worth seeing and worth living. I wish you and your 'Black Forest Family' all the best and look forward to watch your next video.

[@stephanvandenakker7294]

We are from the Netherlands and spend a week with our kids in Magdeburg in 2016. We stayed in a hotel in Hundertwassers Grüne Zitadelle and visited the Technikmuseum, Jahrtausendturm, Elbauenpark, the Zoo and the Botanical garden. We loved it!

[@henningbartels6245]

this is great to hear. I was born and grew up in an Eastern suburb of Magdeburg, a village founded by Dutch settlers. In the area between Magdeburg and Berlin you often find Dutch connections in the local history, but I guess, it is not information easily available to Dutch tourist.

[@thenevadadesertrat2713]

That city has a bloody history, unfortunately. Twice surrounded by invading troops. No, it has nothing to do with the 3rd Reich.

[@JohnMckeown-dl2cl]

I was living in Germany during the fall of the wall and reunification. It was an unusual time of joy and trauma. There was a wide gap between how the people of the Bundesrepublik and the DDR viewed it and each other. It is too complex to cover just in a comment, but it laid the foundation for how the two regions related and how it is today. In the west there was a mixture of pity for the former east along with some distaste for what had been happening there. In the east there was a great rush of feeling of freedom, but a lot of bewilderment over the changes to their lives. A great deal happened in a very short time. After the euphoria of the reunion wore off, the hard (and expensive) work had to begin. 16.4 million people changed nationality instantly and the ways of the west had to be adopted. It must have been strange for the residents to see their Trabis and Wartburgs replaced by VWs and BMWs as well as seeing place names change (for example: Karl Marx Stadt reverted to it's original name of Chemnitz). It was pretty rough at first and tourism was pretty far down the list of priorities. A lot of what you can see in Leipzig or Dresden today is the product of the last 35 years, not the 44 years before that and a lot of what you could see in 1990 was a bit grim. The leveling of the two former Germanys is something that will only come with time. Give it 9 more years when the time of reunification becomes equal with the time of separation and see what happens. Good story and it heightens even more my desire to visit the eastern part of Germany.

[@markusbaumgartner9266]

And remember how western investors rushed in and plundered and exploited all the former GDR properties... It is ironic that the former socialists got screwed over by capitalists when they finally got their freedom.

[@Freiya2011]

Good analysis. But sth is missing: the west just swiped away everything from the GDR, which left some of the East Germans with a feeling that they had been colonized, overrun. Not everything that happened was honorable or even decent. In both ways... time to stop licking the wounds and start healing.

[@theojungling234]

The people here did not watch their Trabis/Wartburgs being replaced - they replaced these themselves! Also the people of Chemnitz couldn't wait until they finally got rid of that stupid Karl Marx Stadt name! 🙄 All in all the 'Easties' weren't passive - a huge(!) majority(!) welcomed that development - be it at a high price (9 fold rent increase within a year or 20% unemployment early 2000's).

[@qobide]

This radical change is something many western germans have never experienced. There reunifaction "trauma" is the introduction of the Solidaritätsbeitrag and strange saxons taking their jobs. But the idea of having your whole life planing or something like a career instantly whipped out on a much larger level than just the loss of a job, was non existent. The assymetric interests where a problem. The Ossis wanted to experience the west but only a view Wessis cared then for the east. This isn't helpful when you need to create a collective future.

[@Freiya2011]

@@qobide good analysis!

[@PK1999]

I was there with a family on a bike tour and we loved it. Greetings from Poland

[@Cera3]

hehe, during Corona we made a bike/camping trip from Leipzig to the Polish Baltic Sea (Misdroy) - we loved it as well :)

[@PK1999]

@@Cera3 I guess it’s Miedzyzdroje:) There is a nice bike road along the sea shore all the way to Gdańsk. I recommend it for a next trip. On East Germany’s side there are many nice and peaceful places, beautiful nature and excellent bike infrastructure. It’s so underrated and virtually unknown in Poland

[@rossdrysdale7875]

It is an absolute disgrace and travesty that beautiful Dresden from the designated heritage list! To me that is a crime and they slap in the face to The people of Dresden who have worked so hard to restore their City known for centuries as the Paris of the Elber

[@e-drummer2479]

Cześć! Nice to read a friendly comment about visiting Germany from a Pole. I used to travel to Gdynia often - visiting my in-laws. At that time our route took us from Berlin, a bit through Szczecin, Koszalin, Słupsk - through the town centers, as at that time the new roads had not been built yet. I enjoyed the trip every time, it wasn’t boring as you could see things en route - making stops at great little restaurants. Greetings from the US!

[@PK1999]

@@e-drummer2479 Cześć! Today’s Germany is Poland’s friend and ally in the EU and NATO. Many Polish tourists visit Germany but mostly the West. I went to East Germany last year and as said - liked it thoroughly. Btw - road infrastructure in Poland has improved significantly over the past years. Hope you will enjoy it next time you come to Gdynia. Greetings from Poland!

[@staceys1208]

I'm an American and I spent a year in college in Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt, 1994-1995. I knew only 1 other American in the city at the time, and a very small number of westerners. Unemployment at the time in the city was around 25%. I was actually paid a stipend from the German government as an incentive to study in East Germany, and in one of my classes, we had 3 professors and a lab tech for only 2 students! I learned German very well, and my fluency allowed me access to my East German friends and their families in a way that I think was way more immersive. I had the opportunity to visit Magdeburg in 2016, and I was happy to see how much the city had changed for the better, but it was obvious that it lagged behind its western counterparts. For interesting tourist destinations, I would recommend Magdeburg (Altstadt, Magdeburger Dom, Breiter Weg, Rotterhorn Park, Elbe Ufer, etc), but also Wernigerode and Quedlinburg in the Harz Mountains. Potsdam is also incredibly historic and scenic, and its proximity to Berlin makes it very accessible. Given all that Berlin has to offer, Potsdam often gets overlooked, but its definitely worth the trip on its own.

[@henningbartels6245]

I agree with Potsdam which is nessled in park landscape with many small palaces and manors - though it could feel extensive to walk. Renting a bike will do you a good service (though sometimes there are some restrictions for not biking through baroque flower beds. The same goes for Magdeburg which has pretty green spaces along the river, which might be too spread out to walk, but perfect with a bike. The air raids of WWII did not leave much of the Old Town left, so "Altstadt" might be disappointing, but the Magdeburg Cathedral is truely worth visiting and the adjacent southern city expansion with it'd Gründerzeit facades, south of the "Old Town".

[@g.f.w.6402]

I find the term “Westerners” somewhat irritating. The East Germans were also Germans, i.e. Westerners. If an American had lived behind the wall for 28 years, he would still be Western/American after those 28 years. That's why most West Germans had nothing against the Soviet bloc: because almost everything in it was Eastern European. The mistake was that the Soviets had managed to get their hands on a piece of Germany, i.e. a piece of the West. That's why the West German government only wanted to get the GDR out quickly in 1989/90 and then immediately pull the iron curtain back up again. At least that was the original plan.

[@MarkJohnson-zy4fd]

Amazing story. You have great resilience. I visited Magdeburg on my own a few years ago and stayed several days. I agree that it is quite interesting. I was able to get around the city and at least observe the locals. One can never learn and speak enough German. Obviously, there is an undefinable cultural difference between those from the former DDR and those from the West. Some of the best historical and cultural sites are in the former East.

[@GRB444]

I recommend visiting Görlitz 😍 It is one of the most beautiful cities in Germany. It wasn’t destroyed in World War II at all which is quite unique, and almost all buildings are completely restored.

[@f.g.9466]

Nice brewery too, and fun walking into Poland.

[@VJDanny1979]

And Hollywood loves shooting movies there. 😉

[@iodiimelita7999]

I was there end of the 90ties, the people there was so unfriendly, that I was shocked

[@froedlmetallmann4643]

Yes! A really nice little medieval town.

[@uweburger]

Good Morning Ashton, your outside perspective is very valuable, thank you

[@christophersprecher890]

I'm Bavarian and back in 2019 (pre-Covid) I took a week off around the Day of German Unity at the beginning of October and just took the train around Saxony. It was so beautiful and I can recommend Upper Lusatia (Oberlausitz) and the Sorb region around Bautzen and Cottbus; I felt very welcome and everyone smiled hearing my very different Bavarian accent there :) But it's true: most Bavarians I know when going to the ocean go south to the Adriatic Sea rather than north to the Baltic Sea.

[@borstenpinsel]

If the baltic sea would be as warm as the adriatic, I'm sure more people would go there. Also from most of Bavaria, Italy's coast(s) are just closer than the German ones. Furthermore the German coasts are riddled with "Kurorte". A week there most likely costs more than 2 weeks in Jesolo.

[@robfriedrich2822]

When East Germans could spend more money, they preferred the Bulgarian Gold Beach over the Baltic Sea.

[@florianmeier3186]

I don't think it is really true. Certainly, prizy places exist along the German coast, but the North-East is rather cheap compared to other parts of the country. If you live not in the first hotel in town, I guess it is rather affordable. On the other hand Italy is not that cheap anymore. People who wanted to save money went to Croatia, but even that became more expensive now. However, the climate is rather different and the Baltic Sea is not a real ocean: less salty, less waves in most of the time

[@Eilt]

I spent in 2023 months walking through Northern Germany. Highlights in the east were Stralsund and Rügen.

[@TypeAshton]

I am SO excited to visit Rügen soon. I hear a lot of great things. ❤️ Thanks for the recommendation!

[@Eilt]

Use a bike there. I was walking on Rügen but I think taking a bike is a better idea!

[@TypeAshton]

That could be really fun. Someone also recommended cycling the Elbe from the Czech Republic all the way to Hamburg. It sounds like I need to do some more cycling-friendly research on Northern Germany.

[@Freiya2011]

I can absoletely recommend Quedlinburg! Especially if you like the medieval ages. It's one of the biggest ensembles of half-timbered houses in Germany. All of them renovated.❤

[@schoppi9300]

@@TypeAshton Hi Ashton. I was recently on Rügen on business and before that 30 years ago. As an islander I can confirm that Rügen has a beauty all of its own. On this trip we stayed at the Parkhotel in Putbus. The little town is not as shiny as Binz, but it has an interesting history. However, there are still buildings that need some work. But the architecture of the buildings is really beautiful.

[@stefaniedaugalis7674]

The christmas time in the Erzgebirge is so beautiful

[@col.sandfurz5771]

If you are interested in old craftsmanship, then the Spielzeugmuseum (toys museum) Seiffen is worth a visit.

[@dnocturn84]

At one point I joined a dinner with a west German family (I was a friend with one of their children). The parents started to openly discuss, where they want to spend their next vacation. After a short debate, they agreed, that it will be some destination in Germany. Then they went through a list of possible holiday destinations - all of them exclusively in West Germany. They had a good discussion, some of them were dismissed, because they went there "too often". I kept quiet for some time, but was intrigued by this silly conversation. I had some ideas, what went wrong in their heads though. But I felt they also wanted my opinion. Then I couldn't resist anymore and asked, why their list doesn't include places in the former east, such as the Balic Sea coast, or lakes in Mecklenburg Vorpommern, Sächsische Schweiz, southern Harz, Thüringer Wald, or historically interesting sites and cities, such as Dresden, etc. The look on their faces was priceless! After 10 seconds of silence, they continued and agreed on Mallorca. WOW - this was something! I'll never forget this legendary moment.

[@sylviadrees3761]

Must have been ages ago. In the nineties there were hardly any beds in East germany.

[@dnocturn84]

@@sylviadrees3761 This took place in 2009. I screwed up. Sorry, I should have said so - obviously that's an important part of the story.

[@sylviadrees3761]

@@dnocturn84 i have been in the former East over a hundred times. From Rügen to Fortress Königstein, from Havelland to Görlitz. In the nineties we slept in garages, campervan and datschas. From 2000 to 2010 it was also difficult to get a affordable bed. A lot of people viewed visitors as dairy cows. From 2010 to 2020 it got better. Today it's no Problem for normal earners to make good holidays there.

[@tk80mufa5]

@@dnocturn84 a majority of West Germans actively hates East Germans , yet some the young generation prefer the "hipness" of East Berlin or Leipzig to live with their West German and American friends on daddy's money there. Real estate / rents are still cheaper than Munich , Hamburg , Frankfurt , Cologne , Düsseldorf , Stuttgart , even though the cheap times are rapidly coming to an end. they look down on East Germans & Germany as a whole , that's why most of them vote for the anti-German Greens or anti-German Social Democrats. Overall West Germans like the Dutch , French , Anglos , Americans - are very limited and predictable in their world view. I noticed they also prefer all these third world immigrants to come in and be their dirty work slaves. very weird.

[@starryk79]

if you can visit the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge) in December you are in for a treat. In my opinion this region is the Christmas Land of Germany and i will fight for that one. If you visit Freiberg or Annaberg Buchholz and drive through the smaller towns and villages you will really experience the many Christmas decorations that are unique and spread from this area into the rest of Germany in almost every window of every house you will see pyramids and and 'Schwibbögen' (light arches) turning everything into a sea of lights once it gets dark. It is really an experience. The ore mountains are also a beautiful area during the rest of the year but in December it is almost magical.

[@dresden_slowjog]

Christmas markets: try Annaberg-Buchholz, I find it so incredibly beautiful, the "wall" fencing off the market showcases tiny panoptica with moving puppets depicting trades and crafts. Plus you can visit the Frohnauer Hammer" a mediaval huge blacksmith tool in action, or why not visit the mine, with mining so typical for the region? The altarpiece in the large (late Gothic early Renaissance) St Anne's church is famous, too, particularly the backside depicting the whole actual process of silber mining 500 years ago is unique.

[@wolfgangpagel6989]

Usually they mention Seiffen. Because that is one of the places where they actually produce that stuff and the places you mentioned are only somehow in that region. Freiberg is well known for the Mountain Academy and the museum of minerals.

[@HansWagner-l6b]

Yes, the mineral collection is extraordinary. And when in Freiberg one should also book a guided tour through "Himmelfahrt Fundgrube", a former mine now used by the Bergakademie for research and education, but also open to the public. It's so impressive to climb down the shafts on old wooden ladders into tunnels dug by miners 500 years ago.

[@bigernie9433]

As a German, I am quite happy the beautiful national parks in former East Germany such as the Mecklenburger Seenplatte are not being overrun by tourists from overseas.

[@UlliStein]

Yes, that's what we call east German hospitality. So sad 😞

[@theojungling234]

@@UlliStein Talk to the peopla of Amsterdam, Dubrovnik, Venetia . . . (no comparison I know).

[@chkoha6462]

Not overrun by tourists from overseas..but the ones from Berlin are bad enough

[@UlliStein]

@@chkoha6462 And that answers Ashtons question. Who wants to be a tourist where he feels not to be welcome.

[@alidemirbas6566]

You should build a wall around your East Germany. More precisely, as you like russian tourists, between East and West Germany.

[@patricklehmann24]

As a tip for a family: Rent a Ferien Haus in MeckPomm in a village somewhere between the lakes. Then take a bike tour every day to a different lake, if it's to warm just take a swim, build sand castles, etc. You can watch ships and boats and rent a canoe. It's just every day a new adventure in the nature. You might notice, MeckPomm has open super markets on Sundays for arriving tourists who need to fillup the rented houses with groceries :) => examples: Zechliner Hütter, Canow, Wustro, Fürstzenberg, Lychen, Feldberg, ... Any plans on creating a video on the transformation of strip mining holes to lakes and new tourist areas (Leipzig Neuseenland and Lausitzer Seenland)?

[@marcuscyron7382]

Very good recommendation!

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Incredibly beautiful landscapes. Not much going on, but if you want action and crowds, there are other places. It's a great place to enjoy nature and calm. A truly relaxing vacation to slow down and just enjoy life.

[@Schachpferd]

You could also cruise over the Havel and all adjoining lakes on a house boat. Makes sure to visit the Stechlin See, it's the most clear lake. The little cities are also cute.

[@Klavieralter]

Weimar, Erfurt, and Jena are great places to learn about Luther, Goethe, and Schiller. Torgau near Leipzig has a lovely castle. Naumburg has the Dom, and from there, you can bike the wine route along the Saale. Meißen near Dresden has wine and porcelain. Görlitz is a lovely city straddling Poland. In the North, Schwerin has its beautiful castle and lakes. Greifswald is a great place to learn about Romantic landscape painter Casper David Friedrich. Rostock is great. Rügen is a must-see island.

[@lauragraham1122]

Greetings from Dresden. So great you have done a segment on this beauuuutiful city. I've lived and worked here at the Semperoper for 18 years. I've watched it grow and change so much since 2006 summer, when I moved from over a decade in Frankfurt. Of course, when people visit here, they go to the 'new/Atlstadt' which is incredible.... yet, the real joy for me has been getting on a bike and riding all over, especially along the river both directions for hours. Some places which need to be visited from Dresden are Meissen, to the West, where the first European porcelain was created, and Görlitz on the border with Poland. (many films are shot here.. I think they call it Gollywood?🤣) There are also towns like Bautzen which were Pilgrimage destinations hundreds of years ago and have incredible stories and ancient churches. Wittenberg, where Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis to the church door, which rippled into a world- wide change. There's so much history in this area that since it's been 'not on the radar' for so many decades, is not regularly known. Please let me know if you come through Dresden again- I always feel a bit like a tourist here, even though I've been here for so long, I love taking people around and sharing all the beauty and history I've learned over the years. "-D

[@fpsmeter]

Many people still have those misconceptions about ex-communist countries in Central Europe. They think Czechia, Poland or Baltic Countries are still grey, gloomy, full of run-down, neglected cities. While in reality some of those countries are already better (in terms of economy and infrastructure) than some Western European countries.

[@holger_p]

But where is your knowledge coming from ? People not visiting, do not often make videos on why they not choose to visit. And Prague is more on the limit of overtourism.

[@GGysar]

​@@holger_p Ok, then don't visit Prague, visit Tanvald, Rožmberk nad Vltavou and Vyšší Brod. I chose those examples because I have been there multiple times.

[@Ulf-qg1vd]

Not really true since 15-30% of the population has left most countries. Also salaries have stayed low but the prices very high. Both corruption and crimes has gone up. In Bulgaria starvation has increased.

[@jasonhaven7170]

You mean Portugal? Regardless, these countries are full of racists.

[@holger_p]

@@GGysar I should go there too see miserable run down places ? Or just because prague is packed ?

[@aoilpe]

I (🇨🇭) traveled with the 9€-Ticket through the southern half of eastern Germany in 2022 for 23 days and visited 20 cities. I haven’t noticed the Waldschlößchenbrücke in Dresden ! Beautiful places are imo Erfurt , Görlitz (Görliwood) ,Frankfurt/O , Quedlinburg , Wernigerode, Meissen, Moritzburg, Nordhausen, Weimar , Magdeburg, Halle , Leipzig and for sure Dresden…! The people in general are very friendly !

[@BR618]

sorry, but how do one expects to experience more the then a rushed climbs of a place, when one is rushing through 20 of them in a fortnight? .... pls, don't do stress-tourism, don't be always on the move and on a schedule ^^

[@Andifined]

I was born in little Frankfurt, so it is nice to see you enjoyed the town. 😊

[@aoilpe]

@@BR618 This was my “Discovery Voyage” to get an idea where I want to go back and stay a little longer…

[@aoilpe]

@@Andifined There is still something to improve but it’s a nice city, the polish side too.

[@Andifined]

@@aoilpe yes agree, that there is still a lot that can be improved. I am just happy cause one does not often hear something like that, especially if you are from east germany.

[@alanbarr9327]

For someone living in one of the most beautiful areas of the country, you really put a lot of effort into showing, not only germans, but, the entire world the beauties of the entire country. THAT'S AMAZING! Thank you! You literally just have to walk out of the door (front or back!) and you have the Black Forest, the Swabian Alb and so many lovely towns and cities nearby! But, you choose to show as much of the country to as many people as you possibly can! And your comparisons are worthy of a tour guide! I have the feeling of having been there myself without even leaving my couch! I hope you keep up your great work! Thank you so much for your insight! Lovely greetings to you and your family from Siegen, NRW!

[@deepblue25]

As you said, Dresden and the surrounding area are really worth a visit. However, there are also small towns in eastern Germany with breathtaking surroundings. Quedlinburg and Wernigerode with the Harz Mountains themselves can be completely captivating. In Mecklenburg, the lake landscape and the many small towns are an incredible invitation to slow down. These areas deserve to be noticed much more and the inhabitants are proud of what surrounds them. Especially in view of the state of many places immediately after reunification and the little or no money that was available. This lack of appreciation has certainly been a somewhat frustrating experience for residents over the many years since reunification.

[@Oleksandrovych]

I love Eastern Germany. Loving Dresden, Gorlitz, Zittau, Berlin. They are great places to visit, with nice people which will help you even if you don't speak German at all.

[@Karl_Ranseier]

still can't get my head wrapped around it, why the americans are OBSESSED with castles and Schloss Neuschwarstein in particular there are so many beautyful palaces all around Germany.

[@lonespokesperson7254]

Because Bavaria is REAL Germany in the mindset of America, and Americans of German heritage identify with this part of Germany - in my opinion, at least. Correct me if I am wrong. Spreewald also stands out, especially because they speak a unique language - Sorbic (Sorbisch).

[@simtill]

This is due to the fact that most GIs where stationed in Bavaria after WW2 and that helped to spread the cultural image of Bavaria in the US while neglecting other regions.

[@lonespokesperson7254]

@@simtill Well, there were GIs also stationed in Hessen, Baden-Württemberg, Berlin, Bremerhaven and Garlstedt (Lower Saxony) - But, yes, many WERE stationed in Bavaria. Few military installations remain. Back in the days, AFN would recommend other parts of Germany and Europe to military servicemen and their families - question is, whether they had the chance - and the time - to do so. BTW, the German language was still very prevalent in America, prior to WW II.

[@flitsertheo]

If I'm not mistaken the Disney castle is based on Schloss Neuschwanstein, hence their fascination with it.

[@jean-pascalesparceil9008]

@@lonespokesperson7254 US servicemen (and famillies) did not seem eager to visit. I have met a US Army officer who went from Baden-Würtemberg to France... only to Disneyland.

[@MrLxbud]

Thank you for this nice video featuring the east, a topic that is not often brought up by expats living in Germany, I feel. Being born in Leipzig and now living in Dresden, I will not recommend them, and you already featured and visited them. I vote for Erfurt for a daytrip/2-day trip. It‘s a small city, one can visit the Krämerbrücke, the cathedral, Petersberg and the ega, if one likes flowers, to give some recommendations. There is also small 900 years old synagogue if one is interested in Jewish live during medieval times. Erfurt is well connected by train and normally easy to reach (from Baden-Würtenberg maybe a bit harder, but it’s a good tip maybe for other people living in Munich for example)

[@arnodobler1096]

It's Sunday morning and I'm learning more about my beautiful country in a very entertaining way, thank you Ashton!

[@TypeAshton]

Ah awesome. Thank you so much Arno! Have a great rest of your weekend. ❤️

[@wora1111]

Stimmt. Als (West-) Deutsche haben wir teilweise die gleichen Vorurteile wie Ausländer. Was wir vor 30-40 Jahren mal gelernt haben, halten wir heute immer noch für richtig.

[@hansmarheim7620]

If so you should also look up Lauren Francis' vlogs from around Germany and Europe. They are great. She is Welch but are married to a German man and also have German citizenship. She has also made a video with Ashton.

[@richardhltrp1791]

skipped school ?

[@arnodobler1096]

@@richardhltrp1791 It´s long time ago 🤷‍♂

[@bartmannn6717]

Weird how Rhineland Palatinate is so far down the list of tourism. So, tourists in Germany are missing out nearly all of the castles of Germany (it's A LOT of castles!)? And the winding river Mosel with its wine region surrounded by castles on literally every hill? No one? Weird.

[@TypeAshton]

Surprising, right?

[@jonathanbell5561]

We spend 90% of our time in the east. Was married in Wernigerode (my favorite place) and my wife comes from Rostock/Stralsund area. Love the southern part of the east too. So many great places. The reason West has more tourist and how we think of Germany (specifically for Americans) is 1. There was over 40 years the East was off limits and 2. The soldiers stationed in West went back home and influenced the foreign vision of Germany and it was based on their location .

[@WillemAnema]

Visited Potsdam a few weeks ago, lovely place I can recommend.

[@TypeAshton]

Loved Potsdam. ♥️

[@liesascott5414]

I went to college there i the late 60's.

[@michaellawrence588]

I suspect that after Queen of Tears, there is going to be a spike in tourism in the former East Germany, especially Potsdam and Sanssouci Palace, from travelers in East Asia.

[@liesascott5414]

@@michaellawrence588 It's a wonderful [place. Not just the castle which was supposed a small edition of the castle of Luis14th. The country around Potsdam is famous for growing fruit. Lot's of orchards. Potsdam also has wonderful lakes that are connected with each other. .My first boyfriend had a boat and took me around. It was awesome. It's also a big place for international history because the Allies signed the papers to end WWII there (Potsdamer Abkommen).

[@1Apep1]

The relationship between east and west is certainly difficult. A lot went wrong in the early years after reunification. There was no sense of cultural relevance of the east German economy, so the government did not put in enough effort to protect existing companies in the transition from plan economy to capitalism. Investors (mostly from the west) could rush in and get rich from subsidies by phasing out possibly viable businesses. Those subsidies were of course payed for with tax money, so a lot of people in the west felt like they had payed a lot to the east, while people in the east felt like westerners had come in and destroyed their jobs. During the Cold War both sides had been subject to propagandist reporting about each other, so certain biases were already there. The initial elation about the fall of the wall belied those biases. There was an expectation that actual unity would just happen after reunification, so there was not much deliberate effort put into reducing prejudice. While everyday interactions between people from east and west do help to reduce preconceptions, a lot is culturally pretty established and difficult to eliminate.

[@sylviadrees3761]

The people I have met do not share this opinion.

[@thomaskalbfus2005]

Who did the propagandistic reporting in East Germany, were they Russians speaking bad German with a Russian accent? There are Russians in Russia making propagandistic reporting in Russia about the war in Ukraine. So what about those Germans who worked for Russia giving the Russian point of view, and who presented their faces on East German television, what happened to those people, are they still around? I don't like to call that country which occupied Eastern Germany for almost 40 years the Soviet Union, I call it the Second Russian Empire, because that is what it was. I hope those East German propagandists went to Russia and I hope they are enjoying their lives in what is now Putin's Russia, as they don't really belong in Germany, they were part of the Second Russian Empire, the whole Communist thing was a thin veneer which dressed up Russian Imperialism as something more democratic, kind of like Putin's pretend reelection in which he got 88% of the vote by Russians who enjoyed getting slaughtered in Ukraine, if one were to believe the propaganda.

[@listohan]

Even in far off Australia, we knew of the international efforts to restore the Frauenkirche in Dresden. Add the continuing controversy and ramifications to the reputation of those who served in Bomber Command following the bombing of the city when victory had already been assured and a visit was high on my bucket list during my all too short time in the country. To a much less extent than Berlin, evidence of the bombing was still visible even if in the form of empty parcels of land.

[@CA999]

Yes. Some of my relatives were involved in that 'attack'. The guilt endured throughout their lives.

[@spischang]

Thank you very much! Dresdeners appreciate this efforts very well. People from all over the world donated for our Womens Curch. Thanks to Australia!

[@takashitamagawa5881]

Not that I've been to Dresden but I read that the city was rebuilt with some restoration of the old buildings but with a number of open spaces. Whatever the funding available post-war it wasn't practical to recreate the densely built up old city that was the result of centuries of construction dating from medieval times.

[@Elmo2205]

Dresden is absolutely beautiful! We spent a week there in December of 2022. Last year we stayed in Löbau for a week and visited Görlitz, Bautzen and Oybin. Every place we went to was absolutely worth a visit. There is so much to see and do in all of Germany, no matter what part of the country you're in.

[@jorgschimmer8213]

I actually visited Dresden at Eastern . Amazing. We stayed a little bit out of the city. Everything was nice. Streets, Houses, parks, cafés, Restaurants. I did. the Red Line tour. Highly recommended.

[@purmajolkkinen7878]

I've visited Eastern Germany on three occassions and as a Finn I have a bit different viewpoint versus American tourists flying across Atlantic as I have access to quite an array of transportation (air, ferry, rail, car) to get into Germany. Berlin as a destination is of course no-brainer but as far as the other things are considered there is a lot of historical stuff to see in the East. For likes of the author I'd probably visit the gorgeous castle in Schwerin and the old Hanseatic towns such as Stralsund and Rostock. And that image you had of pier in Sellin reminds me of Rügen in general, an interesting island with lots of holiday resort with historical sights such as the controversial Prora complex and the narrow-gauge steam railway running through resort villages. For people with interest in technology and military there are a lot of interesting places to visit in the East such as vehicle museum and castle in Eisenach and a technical museum in Peenemünde (Usedom) introducing people to, of all things, to rocketry and cruise missiles that were developed there. I've also visited a prog rock festival in Reichenbach (Vogtland) in 2016 and for all its loveliness I was delighted how it wasn't exactly a budget-busting affair either. Of the Eastern Germany tourist locations I do understand well why Germans are flocking into Mecklenburg-Vorpommern resorts during the summer. I recall that when visiting that mentioned castle in Schwerin during early June it was +32c and almost unbearably hot while after driving to Warnemünde (a major Baltic Sea resort and important cruise port catering mostly for domestic clients) a comfortable +26c and a gentle breeze greeted me and instantly made me realize why the entire Baltic coastline is more or less built full of those holiday resorts. Not that they are particularly interesting for foreigners but they provide easily accessible getaway for domestic audience.

[@Appolyon]

If there's one place in East Germany I can recommend visiting, it's the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, especialy the Saxon Switzerland national park.

[@catherinedelossantos7232]

Hi Ashton, I live in Erfurt and I can recommend Erfurt both as a tourist destination and a jumping off point for the surrounding towns like Weimar and Eisenach. I hear the hiking and biking in the Horizontale in Jena, Oberhof and the Rhön is fantastic. There are also other tourist attractions famous among the locals, like the disused Mine in Werratal, the Baumkronenpfad at the Hainich National Park, and the spa in Bad Salzungen. I sound like a tour guide 🙈, but do holler if you do come here. It isn't very easy being brown and foreign in East Germany, no lie, but like all places, there are good and bad aspects to being here, not very different from anywhere you go.

[@Freiya2011]

I also recommend it! Absolutely smashing!

[@lindacollins1501]

I just stayed overnight in Erfurt--fabulous city center!

[@burt5057]

I'm a former soldier in the British Army. In 1971 I was stationed in West Berlin for some months then in Osnabruck in West Germany for the next 6 years. I loved my time there and last year I went back to Berlin for the first time in over 50 years. As a veteran of the Cold War that period has always fascinated me. Next week I'll be back in Berlin and also Dresden. I plan if time allows to visit Erfurt and Weimar. I've just finished reading Dresden 13th February by Fredrick Taylor about the bombing in early 1945. I make no judgement but am looking forward to seeing how the city was rebuilt. A favourite author of mine is Katja Hoyer - born in East Germany whose book Beyond the Wall is a fascination history of the period WW2 to the fall of the Berlin Wall and its aftermath.

[@jamercontreras2200]

I'm from the Philippines and I've just recently visited Saxony and Dresden last July, it was beautiful. The architectures and the history was so visible everywhere you go 🥰

[@hellkitty1442]

There's so many nice places in Eastern part of Germany. And while Quedlinburg (and Wernigerode) have been mentioned before (and are really worth a visit! Quedlinburg during Christmas time as well), I want to point out that there are many many castles all over. You may want to look at Burg Falkenstein in the Harz mountains, where there's also medival festivals, if I remember correctly. There's castles in the Thurginia forest, like around Jena, coming from Camburg (Camburger Schlösser). There's castles in the Erzgebirge. To name just a few specific and non-specific castles. There's more! Also there's a lot of legends around the Harz, starting with the Teufelsmauer (devils wall) and going to the Rosstrappe and more after that. Also, the Harz has a really nice, old train system. That might be something for Jack, I do recall him loving trains. Another thing to look at are old mines etc. that are just amazing and not as heavily visited as those in other areas. Or take a look at local museums, that focus on something special. Thing is: many places in the Eastern part of Germany haven't been bombed as heavily as their Western counterparts, due to just being a lot smaller and with less infrastructure. That means that there's still a lot of really old inner cities etc., some not well taken care of, but in many places, they try to improve and keep these buildings (Quedlinburg, Wernigerode, Weimar... to name just a few of the more well known places). Yeah, I know that in Frankfurt/M they rebuilt the Römer, but visiting it... you just see that it's rebuilt and not original (if you know original buildings that is). Also, there's another bigger airport in Eastern Germany, actually one of the largest: The airport of Halle/Leipzig. It's mostly used for transport, but it's huge and there are planes from all over the world landing there, just fewer for people. And that's right in the heart of Eastern Germany.

[@roesi1985]

Not to forget the Leuchtenburg, my "home castle". It's huge and you learn a lot about the history of porcelain as well. Btw, if you want to see something really cool: During the last weekend of July each year, there's a Ossi Oldtimer cruise/race in the town near the Leuchtenburg. So much fun!

[@Micha-qv5uf]

As somebody who was born in the GDR and grew up in the 90s, I'd like to give you and your audiance an idea of why East Germany is so.. politically complicated :D. It's actually quite simple. When the wall fell, people migrated to the west because of job opportunitys. This process lasts until today and at the moment East Germany has the lowest population since the 19th century. Now if you think about who left, it was mostly 2 groups. 1. Educated people because they obviously had a higher chance to find a well payed job in the west. 2. Women because in the GDR it was normal for women to work and earn money for themselves and when the wall fell they obviously didn't want to give up on that level of independance. Now think about what happens to a society if you take out educated people and women over 30 years and what kind of people tend to stay in their home town no matter what and there you have it. I am 100% convinced that if everybody who was born in East Germany also voted in the East, the political landscape would be the same as it is in the West.

[@mla2385]

So true. Half of my siblings moved to the west in the 90s. More than half of my class mates from school moved to the west as well or left Germany for good. I stayed here since the cost of living is cheaper and the infrastructure improved very well in the last decades. But it is a country of old man. If you do not like crowded cities and like the nature, it's great here ... or it was until the covid pandemic hit, followed by the russian invation of the Ukraine. In my view, this was a big game changer to the negative. Even before we had more grumpy fellows here and also a high approval for the AFD and all this reactionary kind of stuff. Now it gained an absolutely new level. Conspiracy theories became common sense here. A lot of people I knew for years turned into totally descructive and negative folks like these maga guys in the US. Aside of the upcoming EU elections we also have communal and state legislature elections here in Thuringia this year and I actually fear for the worst. If these idiots here vote Bernd Höcke and his minions into power, I fear that, despite me loving my home, that I will have to pack my stuff and leave with my wife and kids as well. I still hope that my judgement is clouded due to my bubble and bias and in the end the majority of the people here realize what they have in our democracy and make the right decision. We'll see ...

[@pako1724]

Ich bin kein Politologe, aber ich glaube, dass diese ganze AfD- und Fremdenfeindlichkeitsscheişse zu einem nicht unerheblichen Teil daher rührt, dass die Leute im Osten nach wie vor weniger verdienen als im Westen, bei nahezu identischen Lebenshaltungskosten, und auch anderweitig immer noch benachteiligt werden. Das führt zu Frustration, was wiederum dazu führt, dass sich Leute von (Rechts)Populisten verleiten lassen...oder so. Ich bin selbst gebürtiger Ossi, bin aber im Westen aufgewachsen und lebe jetzt seit 1,5 Jahren wieder im Osten. 😘

[@a.wen.6987]

@@mla2385 hahahaha Bernd, BERND, OMG ist das witzig HAHAHAHAH

[@marcdenoire5462]

This massive migration from East to West demonstrates that there was something wrong about the economic policy in new bundesstates after the reunification. There is also something about the German mentality. Germans like to stigmatize poorer people as less intelligent, less educated and lazy. East Germans had a kind of psychological trauma because they were not less educated than West Germans and not lazy, but still treated as such because they were poorer and maybe less prepared to compete in a market economy. What's your opinion on this?

[@Micha-qv5uf]

@@marcdenoire5462 Hm that doesn't really apply to my family and friends but that doesn't mean it's not possible. I'm born in 1988 so a bit late to really experience these things by myself.

[@herbertgonswa3503]

Moin Ashton, best wishes to your family. Since 1989 we`ve visited the beaches in Meckpomm Kühlungsborn, Prerow and Rügen, the lake distrikt, the country roads along the Elbe river from Hamburg over Dönitz and Havelberg to Magdeburg, Quedlinburg ( a gem ), Dresden, Festung Königstein, Elbsandsteingebirge, Gera, Weida and Zwickau and several small towns and between this meadows, field and woods. East Germany has a lot of hidden treasures and often you will find them along the country road unexpected in small villages, worth a stop over. Greetings from Hamburg

[@2kReels]

Thank you for educating yourself about the still exisiting differences between east and west - especially the interpersonal. I said for a long time, that the divide is still there, because the change practically neglected the east german identity and (still) reduces it to Stasi and FKK. The quote you cited sums this up perfectly - will definitely get this book. -1 on the 40% 😊

[@TheJohnnycab5]

I am from the west originally but live in Austria now. Work takes me to the east once or twice a year and I love every bit of it. I am in the middle of nowhere between Potsdam and Brandenburg right now while I am watching this and really enjoy myself. Many of the smaller cities like the aforementioned Potsdam and Brandenburg but also Cottbus and Rostock are worth a visit. Some places might not be as flashy as others but all in all I love the authenticity and the realness of the area. If I wasn't in my late 50s and very much ingrained where I am now, I would move to the east anytime.

[@PKowalski2009]

I have visited. But I'm Polish :D How not to visit Dresden to see the Vermeer there, and if it's Saxon Switzerland, then Koenigstein, then a pilgrimage to Bach's Leipzig....

[@PKowalski2009]

PS. And the steamboat cruise from Koenigstein to Dresden and the German tourists singing a Schubert song amidst the setting sun.... One of my greatest travel experiences

[@martenk7278]

Just some travel ideas that came to mind: Rügen: beautiful landscape with the sea and the famous white cliffs Spreewald: beatiful nature habitat, with a somewhat unique style of travel on waterways. Taking a boat for yourself is also great to get kids tired. Just remember to bring something to keep mosquitoes away Erfurt and Weimar: Not as big as Leipzig or Dresden, but equally beautiful and in case of Weimar at least as relevant historically (think Goethe, Weimar Republic, ...). Wittenberg: beautiful old town, and one of the starting grounds for the protestant movement In Winter: Basically all of Thuringia, especially if there's snow. Lots of chances for winter sports, but also the traditional Christmas markets and cities like Lauscha centeres around the production of Christmas tree ornaments And there are lots of other places, as others are welcome to point out

[@littlebrit]

Rügen is not really East Germany. Many people from West Germany moved there. It looks like 1st world town now.

[@kragth]

I agree with all, but christmas time. That time you have to visit the Ore Mountains. No place in germany is comparable to the christmas traditions there.

[@philhinco]

I caught myself constantly nodding as I watched your video. My partner lives in the east, and I always love visiting. It is always hard to see how the east, even 30 years after reunification, is still in decline, buildings remaining empty. The east has so much to offer, it’s a gem in the rough. It just needs some more love.

[@gloofisearch]

What a great video. So, I was born in West Berlin, grew up in the Black Forest and went to West Berlin several times before the wall went down. I still remember the train stops on the border (Still have these transfer slips that you got to allow for the transit) or the drive on the Autobahn through East Germany to West Berlin. However, I saw the fall of the wall while being in Miami, FL and everybody asked me how I feel. I was extremely happy for Germany and am extremely proud that it pulled off the unimaginable task to reunify 2 vastly different countries into one. However, I must admit, that since the fall of the wall, I have been to "East Germany" only about 10-15 times. Not because I didn't want to go there, but, when it comes to travel, I am more of an International traveler and thus, nothing did catch my eyes in "East Germany" that I want to go to. The same is true in my case, for "West Germany". I put the "Germany's" in quotes, just because to me it is just Germany. I personally make no difference between the two former Countries and if I want to or feel the need, I am most definitely go to the eastern part of Germany. We can be proud of our Country and whenever I am somewhere in the World, I see everywhere products from German companies, no matter if they are West or East.

[@PhinClio]

I lived for a year in Leipzig and have returned twice for a month each time. It's a lovely city and Saxony (which also includes Dresden) is full of places worth visiting. Perhaps my favorite is the region known as the Sächsische Schweiz (Saxon Switzerland), the sandstone mountains located along the Elbe between Dresden and the Czech border. Take a train from Dresden, get off in, e.g., Bad Schandau or Königstein, and take a hike through beautiful countryside with gorgeous views of the Elbe to another town with a train stop then take the train back to Dresden. It's a great day trip, even from Leipzig (which adds an additional hour or so train ride to and from Leipzig to Dresden).

[@JonBln]

Awesome video! I just spent a day on Usedom. The beaches there are awesome and there are some great museums. It's easy to access via train coming from Berlin.

[@TypeAshton]

Someone else just recommended this too! I'll be sure to add it to my list. Thanks!!

[@reko7264]

Coming from the south of germany myself.😉 40 km north of Freiburg. I visited Dresden and Leipzig and this year i will visit Weimar with my sister and mum....yes visiting the east of germany is great and there are great places there

[@clout74]

I love Dresden and East Berlin, but you definitely should visit Erfurts restored "Old Town"!!!

[@timv.8974]

You should visit Leipzig, definitely the most beautiful city in Germany.

[@henningbartels6245]

nowadays, it is fairly hard for tourists to recognize where and what "East Berlin" is. It is one large city. Though many cool places to visit are in the former Eastern part of Berlin.

[@charybdis8113]

The unification of Germany is a highly underrated miracle. At the time when countries were breaking up, and they continue to do so, they choose to unite.

[@ursulafranke4552]

Welche Vereinigung ? Und die Besatzungsmächte waren dagegen.

[@mathewvanostin7118]

As a chineese leader said to describe the constant break up reunification cycle of different chineese provinces "when people were together for very long. They want to seperate When people with common history/culture. Were seperated for long enough they want to reunite" 😂

[@eisenschmeisser3959]

@@ursulafranke4552 Ach Ursula... geh mal wieder zurück in Deine Schwurblerblase.

[@Sloyment]

Nobody chose to unite. Gorbačëv sold us to the class enemy. The people has never been asked.

[@Ilike2tubeittubeit]

The reunification happened because the Soviet Union was collapsing and couldn‘t maintain it’s grip any longer on the countries it had controlled previously.

[@Xi.Yi.]

Diese Frau und ihre Videos haben sehr viel Stil und ein hohes Niveau! Ich bin jedes Mal beeindruckt, wie gut sie die Sachen recherchiert und an uns weitergibt. vielen Dank❤

[@MarkJohnson-zy4fd]

Ja, stimmt.

[@loci5327]

Thank you Ashton to cover my former hometown, nice to see your perspective!

[@TypeAshton]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!

[@andersbergquist]

My favoriter, in addition to they you mention is. Dessau with Bauhaus is a must. Quedlingburg, north of Harz is a wounderfull medievial town. It is a nice start a visit in Harz. Finally, the axis around A4 from Eisenach, with Wartburger castel to Jena. Here you find lots of german culture from Martin Luther an Bach to the old universities.

[@barbarossarotbart]

Hertz? I am sure that you mean Harz.

[@andersbergquist]

Yes, thanks for the correction.

[@Peterraymond67]

Hello. About 8 years ago I went on a coach tour from the UK. We flew to Prague, then on by coach to Dresden & Berlin. We spent a couple of nights in each city. I found Dresden to be a lovely surprise, all I’d heard about Dresden was the wartime destruction. The older parts of the city offered great facilities for the tourist. We stayed in a modern hotel on the river bank, to get into the city centre then it was just a cheap tram ride from outside the hoyel. Our trip included a short cruise on the Danube which was a really enjoyable trip.

[@tillneumann406]

I'm sure you mean the Elbe, not the Danube.

[@Peterraymond67]

@@tillneumann406 OOPS Sorry, not really awake!

[@lioneldemun6033]

​@@Peterraymond67Wache auf Mann

[@timv.8974]

@@Peterraymond67you should got to Leipzig. In my opinion the most beautiful bigger city in East Germany.

[@Peterraymond67]

@@timv.8974 Hi. On my trip to Prague, we did call into Leipzig for lunch and a walk about, on the way from Dresden to Berlin. If I get the chance I’ll get back there.

[@justhanan_official]

Naumburg is definitely worth to visit with the Naumburger Dom (Cathedral). The city have a lot of history. The entire surrounding area is very beautiful. You can find there the most northern wine yards in Europe. And the area is world famous for their porcelain.

[@stretch9952]

An excellent presentation. You identify your sources. You qualify your perspective. In 1972, I passed through Dresden on my way to Budapest by train. Now, I want to go back. Your video had a lot to do with that.

[@liesascott5414]

I grew up in East Germany und lived before the reunification 10 years in West Germany. What I experienced in discrimination, open disrespect and even personal humiliation and attacks by West Germans was the reason why I immigrated to the US. I wrote a book about it und was instantly invited to at the time biggest TV talk show in Germany. It was embarrassing to see how the same people (also in my extended family) who rejected me before socially were now literally sucking up to me, ready to be proud of me. The West Germans to this day discriminate against the East because now the money in tourism has to be shared with them, the choices for tourists have become much bigger. It is really embarrassing to see how the West Germans to this day have a strong need to put everything East German down. The majority pf East Germans is much better educated and women are a lot more emancipated. At the current time it's again the East Germans who are politically astute and energetic and are setting the tone in German politics.

[@jotsingh8917]

Wealth breeds arrogance. A wealthier region of a country always looks down on the poorer as backwards. Nothing specific to Germany. I see that here in Brasil right now or the when in the USA the southern regions is looked upon as hillbilly and redneck.

[@FlyingMonet]

It’s ok old man, go to bed. Most younger Germans don’t even think or care about the re-unification

[@liesascott5414]

@@FlyingMonet That is why you people have now the government you have. I'm a woman und you have no manners.

[@garydavis8213]

@@FlyingMonetWow. I guess he’s right.

[@axarpeters8143]

I think that your attitute is rather a part of the problem than a part of a solution. Don't maginalize yourself. Join the unity of Germans

[@bomcabedal]

A habitually overlooked area is anything non-beachy in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and there are some incredible places there. Cities like Schwerin, Greifswald and Rostock; the undulating land of the Uckermark, there's loads to see.

[@tosa2522]

Schwerin, Wismar and the island of Poel are well worth a visit. The Mecklenburg Lake District with the town of Waren an der Müritz is also a popular excursion destination.

[@frankmitchell3594]

I agree, I visited this area before covid lockdown and found it very interesting.

[@MarkJohnson-zy4fd]

Kudos for a video that gets into the serious issues. Matter of fact, this is one of the best videos on KZbin. I stayed in the former East Berlin for two weeks and have visited Leipzig, Dresden, Erfurt, Magdeburg and Potsdam. The ehemalige DDR is way cool.

[@roesi1985]

Thank you, Ashton. It's wonderful to see you talking about East Germany, and in such an appreciative and fact-based manner at that! Love it! As a Thuringian, I also would love to see you traveling to my home state, so what about a video about the impact Thuringia had on German language, culture and history? (Spoiler: You'll be surprised!) It's also absolutely worth a visit even without making a video. You'll encounter beautiful nature, quaint towns and cities, and great food (don't miss out on the wonderful sheet cakes and delicious meat dishes), and I'm sure your kids would be delighted with the many Thuringian castles.

[@twinmama42]

Recommendations from a West German who occasionally travelled to the east of the country (and only places where I've been myself): Rügen - the complete island. Usedom - esp. the coastal sea resorts. Anklam, Stralsund, and Wismar. Berlin and Potsdam. Dessau and Muskau. Naumburg. Quedlinburg. Spreewald. Wittenberg. Eisenach and Wartburg. Leipzig. Meissen and Dresden. Sächsische Schweiz. Erzgebirge - esp Seiffen in December.

[@TypeAshton]

Wow!! this is an amazing and comprehensive list. Thanks for the recommendations! it sounds like a trip to the coast should be on my future travel itinerary!

[@m0llux]

Let me add to that the entire Harz Mountains and the Dessau-Wörlitz gardens. Both absolutely stunning.

[@tommay6590]

Hi Ashton, thanks for another interesting video. Before recommending Peenemünde on the island of Usedom to you (yep the place with a very unique connection to the US as its Space Program in the 1950s and 60s) I wanted to ask you if you have intentionally skipped some very important aspects which explains why fewer people visit East Germany than West Germany. E.g. You shortly mentioned from where the most international visitors were coming from and mentioned countries that either border West-Germany (Belgium, France, Netherlands) or are close by (Britain). In Other words, these do short distance trips by going into the West. Also these are densely populated areas with a lot of potential visitors, while the East is bordering the not very densely populated West Poland and Northern Czech Republic. When we come to the US we have to bear in mind, that millions of US service men with families and civil support personnel were stationed in South West-Germany since 1945 and brought their impressions of Germany back home. Fun fact the US forces are still forbidden to move location to East-Germany by the 2+4 Treaty of 1990. What kind of bothered me TBH was the underlying assumption that East and West Germany were the same size and therefore the East is treated unfairly, you mentioned it rather vaguely by saying that West-Germany is somewhat larger. Well actually the territory of the former GDR was only a third of what is now the unified Germany and population wise the East had approximately a quarter of the population of West Germany, so it was always incorrect to speak of Germany spilt into halves.

[@DeSuenner]

I am born and (still) live in west germany, but sometimes when i get homesick these days, driving through east germany reminds me of the good old days. It cant be long and I will try to permanently move there as a refugee.

[@K__a__M__I]

Whoops, here we go. The algorithm didn't show me your video in my subscription feed. Happened with Passport Two as well ever since they switched to a twice-a-month schedule.

[@TypeAshton]

I've had a couple of other friends tell me that my videos aren't showing up on their feed anymore, despite hitting the notification bell and subscribing. I don't know if this is just punishment from the algorithm or a fluke. But it is frustrating.

[@Opa_Andre]

@@TypeAshton Same happened to me today but because I know your schedule I always turn to your channel on the days I expect new content.

[@pheumann86]

@@TypeAshton I don't think it's the algorithm. After all the point of subscriptions is that you circumvent the algorithm. And maybe more helpful: On my starter page (which is created by the algorithm) your video was at the very top. So it seems like this only affects the subscription page.

[@magmalin]

@@TypeAshton It is indeed frustrating. On the start page I've been getting recomendation lately that are far from what Iam interested in. Silly topics like videos that teach German - I AM German, don't need any German lessons - or some religious crap, etc. Very rarely channels I've subscribed to appear on the list. That your channel was among the recommendations today was an exception.

[@berlindude75]

@@TypeAshton This video also did not show up in my subscription feed. Did you untick the checkbox to notify your subscribers when you uploaded and then published this video? Passport Two started doing this on purpose for their videos a while back to supposedly better attract new viewers (some alleged algorithm voodoo), but that entirely removed the reason to keep the subscription. I thus unsubscribed from them and no longer frequent their channel. Hopefully, this is not going to be a repeat case. 🤞🙏

[@Nr4747]

As a German myself, I'm actually pretty sure that Dresden is the second most popular city to visit in East Germany for German tourists only behind Berlin (which doesn't really count since 3/4 of it were part of West Germany before the fall of the Berlin wall). A lot of Germans know that Dresden is not only really beautiful and has a very long and rich history and culture, but also that it received a lot of money for rebuilding its former glory in recent times.

[@echo3201]

We made 2 visits to East Germany that were both fabulous : - One to the Erzgebirge near Freiberg and Sächsische Schweiz near Bad Schandau, Dresden and Meißen on the Elbe river. - Another one in the North cycling along the Baltic coast from Rostock to Stralsund, across Rügen and then to Greifswald. There we took the train to Berlin and Potsdam, much of it on the 9€ ticket except the longer stretches. Quite a fun experience with no car. The most difficult part was getting from Hamburg to Rostock with 3 bikes on trains that were totally packed already. DB still has some work to do in the East.

[@friedrich4045]

I am from Dresden and i really liked you video. But you should also consider the ratio of population between east and west and not refering to the area when it comes to statistics. When you analyse the part of east population in germany, you will see "we" are only 16%. Therfore of course, there is less tourism in total in east germany. Also, in west germany are most of the companies and the tourism statistics include business travel as well. Only 50 to 60% of travels are vacation trips, therfore less people are traveling to the east because there are less famous companies per capita. Finally, i would say, of course there are still differences, but they are not that big as the statistics might suggest:D and in addition... there are so many horrible places that look like communist cities in west germany as well, when you go to the "ruhrpott" for example.

[@JohnDoe-us5rq]

Rügen, that's the island up in the baltic sea above Stralsund, is sooo beautiful. And there is so much to do. Spent my honeymoon up there exploring the island and it is really nice. You can hike through the hills in the center of the island, or spent a day on the beach. There are beautiful sand beaches, something not to common on the baltic see, and nice little villages to visit. If you're into the megalithic culture as I am, there are a lot of megalithic structures strewn all over the place. Oh, and of course the famous See Bäder in the southern part a nice stay with their white stelted buildings on the shoreline

[@johanmolin3213]

Three real gems: The island of Rügen, especially the east coast with the little town Binz at its centre. Nice walks by the sea and lots of restaurants, clode by is the eerie place Prora, and there is a narrow-gauge train ("Rasender Roland") that you can travel with. The towns of Stralsund and Wismar, both real gems. Rostock maybe not so much, but you can make a nice tour by harbour ferry to Warnemünde which is another real gem, an old-fashioned summer resort. For us living in southern Sweden it is rather close by. something that apparently also king Gustavus Adolphus though once upon a time, since the area of Vorpommern became Swedish after the thirty years war until the end of the Napoleonic wars. The thirty years war still seems to linger on. "Flieg, Maikäfer, flieg dein Vater ist im krieg dein Mutter ist im Pommernland Pommern ist ja abgebrannt"

[@SD-ed8is]

I'm from Rügen. In my family we always jokingly say, we are south sweden 😆

[@Cera3]

My hometown in Eastern Germany is Werder(Havel) and in my opinion, it is a beautiful spot to travel to. Highlight of the year is the Baumblütenfest, where you can taste-test & buy homemade fruit wines. Unfortunately, it ended last weekend (usually with big must-see fireworks). It is a small town with a nice historic island full of tiny fishermen-style houses which is located in the broadest place of the River Havel. The River connects Werder to the next bigger city Potsdam (also stunning!), which allows nice trips by boat in either direction.

[@conniebruckner8190]

We made a mini-road trip and enjoyed our visit to East Germany. What I liked most was sächsische Schweiz, Spreewald and Erfurt. Dresden made a huge impression too. We spent a week in Binz, and I just love the beach there. (conifers and dunes) Due to time constrictions, we had to pass Leipzig, but we hope to visit it next, same with Chemnitz.

[@cb7560]

Lost the rest of my comment! however, there are a lot of short haul flights to places like Berlin, Halle, so I was a frequent flyer to the East when I was based in UK and Switzerland. I was a big fan of some places in the East, like Saxon Switzerland, Leipzig, Jena, Weimar, and even Chemnitz.

[@loghorizon45]

Well obviously you have to visit Stralsund with its rich history in the Hanseatic League. Also the Island Rügen, which is near Stralsund features a play which retells stories of Klaus Störtebecker. A Privateer that disrupted Trade within said Hanseatic League. Also in Summer, Stralsund features the Wallensteintage, which celebrates the banishment of the 30-Year-War-Warlord called Albrecht Wallenstein who failed to besiege the city of Stralsund in 1628. After that, Stralsund was under Swedish Rule until 1814, which many considered a good time. As this saying proves: "Unter den drei Kronen, da lässt es sich gut wohnen!"

[@maro_from_germany]

Even during GDR times we affectionally referred to it as "Südschweden".

[@conniebruckner8190]

We arrived in Stralsund without knowing about the Wallensteintage. What a pleasant surprise! Of course getting a place to stay was also very difficult but the tourist office people were so helpful.

[@HotelPapa100]

When you are in Stralsund, don't forget the Meeresmuseum. I don't think it has its par ANYWHERE in the world.

[@loghorizon45]

@@HotelPapa100 meeresmuseum >>> Ozeaneum don't @ me 😂

[@angaudlinn]

I spent a week in Chemnitz a couple of years ago during the Schlingel Film festival. The town lives up to some of the preconceptions of the east, but the old parts of town are beautiful, the people very friendly and as a history buff I also appreciated the more "rugged" and "brutalistic" parts of town. One thing you didn't bring up Ashton, is the number of germans who are fluid in a second language in the former halves. In the former west it's quite easy to find people of most generations speaking good english while in the east that can be tricky, especially among the older generations. I think this has an impact on tourism from abroad as well. Being swedish, my combined skills in german and english helped me around town, but in a totally different fashion compared to similar places in the west. (The Karl Marx head in Chemnitz is a BEAST by the way and no photo can convey the size and gravitas of it in real life!)

I hope you not visited just Dresden but also the Elbsandsteingebirge. Other cool places are: Festung Königsstein, Spreewald and Tropical Iland, Warnemünde and Rostock, Schwerin, Wernigerrode and the Brocken.

[@nre992]

I am international master student in Magdeburg(East germany), the city is beautiful but there have been increasing xenophobic attack on student from the past 1 year. We often get categorized as "illegal migrant" but we are just international student like in any other country. I am pretty sure many German students also go to other countries to study and don't face such discrimination. East Germany is way more racist as compared with west Germany. I have amazing german friends in magdeburg but the city in general is repulsive towards the non-white. Race of a person can influence the experience one has in the this country. Whenever my international friends ask for advice for travelling, I often advice to visit West Germany so that they don't encounter racist behavior.

[@christijanrobert1627]

With many friends in the East, I notice a great deal of 'Ossi' Pride. 'Ostalgie' exists here in a big way. One night, I was with a cabbie and I needed to stop at a bank to pay for my fare. It was 2am or so and there was a homeless man resting in the bank vestibule. The cab driver offered him a sandwich and some chocolate. Back in the taxi, the driver gruffly explained in his Saxonian dialect: "the west did that. When I was a child, there were no homeless people. The west always leave people behind. It's what they do." I could feel his anger. To be honest, I have long come to agree with him in some aspects. From the landlords in Western Germany, the west has pillaged the cities in the east, feasted on them, taken advantage of the low wages and salaries, and while yes, on the surface, things are made to look better, I notice this resentment growing. A friend told me the Trabant company went under because VW basically took everything over. However, I recognize that nostalgia can be a strange way to view the world and distort truth, and I have heard horror stories about the Stasis (one friend, her boyfriend at 16 was already a spy and the reason they broke up). However, when it comes down to it, I prefer the East. The people here were humbled by their experiences. Many long to succeed. They have had to work hard to keep up and compete with the west. The early 90s were a shock to them. For one, adults who had learned Russian in school scrambled to learn English. They had to start over as their world collapsed and shattered and they had to figure out a new way to stay afloat, some in midlife or near retirement while their western neighbours had been swimming for decades. In all, the infestation of the advantaged west I would compare to a friendly plunder and looting. I know that such a perspective will not appeal to other people. Eastern cities have improved, sure. Western investment has helped but again, Eastern Germans earn 13000 less Euros than their Western counterparts. I would say one side has always had a leg up on the other. Sure, in the East, the Stasis are gone only to be replaced by the West. 'Democracy' has a price.

[@catriona_drummond]

Good comment. I also seethe with rage about many things that went down here in the 90's that West Germans don't even know about. And actively don't want to know. Am similiarly angry about many fellow East Germans who overshoot and start glorifying the past or running after right wing demagogues (mayn of which are ironically west germans), all I can do is stay here and try and make things better. In an East German way.

[@sylviadrees3761]

Just look at the other countries behind the forner Iron Curtain. They dont got 1,5 trillion Euro from their neighbors. During my first visits in East germany, in the nineties, the water in the moat next to the road was white.

[@christijanrobert1627]

@@catriona_drummond I feel the same and avoid any extremes. Picking a side always creates a conflict. I stay compassionate but aware.

[@christijanrobert1627]

@@sylviadrees3761 It is a matter of perspective. Replace the word 'get' with 'invest in' and that 1,5 trillion takes on another meaning. The German government is not simply going to 'give' that kind of money away. They 'invest' knowing big corporations are setting up shop in the cheaper East and taking advantage of the low income Easterners and the swathes of real estate. All kinds of philanthropy hide an element of charming-'community'-driven villainy. The water is cleaner because the big players can use it for themselves. They serve their interests, plain and simple; charity is an illusion. Or as a retired lawyer I know always tells me: 'follow the money'.

[@lkrnpk]

Well the only reason there was no homelessness in the East is because police was arresting homeless people as they were considered quite tge same way as for exampke Ayn Rand would treat them, as “leeches” or “takers”, i.e. they do not contribute to society and therefore they were taken by police and if they were not on streets due to mental illness, they were put to work. The issue is that vast majority of people are on streets not because they cannot find a job but they do not want one/cannot hold it due to mental/abusive substance issues. And state governments definitely should do more when it cones to the 2nd case. But if a person prefers hunter gatherer/traveler lifestyle in 21st century, is the proper way as it was in the East to force them to work or put in prison? Don’t think so… Also in the East they put the substance (alcohol) abusers to work too but in that way theg destroyed the morale of companies they worked for snd everyone was worse for it, as they were drinking all day but received same salary as honest workers… is that right, I also don’t think so. I myself come from fomer communist block but some or in some places many also tend to idealize those times…

[@jimf671]

Could be worse. Could be living in England. North-East England has a GDP per capita that is 72% of the UK average. The UK government doesn't have a re-unification in their history as an excuse! There is simply no proper constitutional framework and successive governments have been outrageously useless (which EU regional funds once tried to address) . Eastern German states are lucky that they are part of a far better organised country.

[@maro_from_germany]

In which case you'll be interested to learn that there is actually a political initiative in Saxony called "Freie Sachsen" (Free Saxonians) lobbying for Saxony to leave Germany, a process affectionally called the "Säxit". (In all fairness this is promoted as the last resort and not the primary goal.) Yes, this group is considered by many as rather fringe-y. (In other words, not everyone seems to feel lucky to be part of a better organised country.)

[@theojungling234]

@@maro_from_germany Naja, das sollte man mit 'nem Augenzwinkern sehen. Allerdings - unser Land hat über die Jahrhunderte wohl eine Drift zum Sozialismus - und für den Osten ist es der DRITTE Anlauf dahin in 100 Jahren. Tippe da aber eher auf den reichen Süden. Es wird immer sozialistischer hier - und wenn es den Bayern/Schwaben ans Geld geht, werden sie sich querstellen. Noch isses nicht soweit aber wart mal ab.

[@a.r.stellmacher8709]

@@maro_from_germany Yet East Germany is full of German history, beautiful old German towns and villages, most amazing castles, nature and scenery. Want to live there when I come back from Australia.

[@aatheus]

Honestly, most of my vists to Germany have been to the East, since accommodations and events were cheaper there. Lovely buildings, great people, yummy food

[@Xi.Yi.]

Diese Frau hat unendlich viel Stil, der Inhalt und die Aufbereitung ist einfach super und ich bin jedes Mal beeindruckt, wie gut sind die Dinge versteht und weitergibt. ❤ danke

[@JurgenLutter-hb6wb]

During a family vacation in August 2001 where we visited Leipzig without knowing the history and were blown away by the memorial honouring the 1913 battle pitting Napoleon (who lost) against the allies. Also visited a couple of museums which our 13 year old daughter found the Stasi museum interesting. Our hotel was great and very inexpensive and included the outstanding breakfast. Over the years we have visited Europe numerous times but that stay in Leipzig still sticks out for us. As a 'funny' antidote, we landed in Berlin where our 16 year old son bought an El Sid sworn which we packed throughout our trip and when we flew back home we were told the sword couldn't be put into luggage so we had to take it as a carry on. The rules drastically changed a month later.

[@patrickhanft]

As a "west" German, who has traveled at a young age with his parents to the East in the early 90ies, I have quite a lot of memories of many cities that felt so overwhelmingly rich in history even then without being as "polished" as they are maybe today. I remember Weimar, the famous Wartburg, a hike on the Kickelhahn mountain near Ilmenau, where Goethe has written a small famous poem about, of course Dresden (where I've seen a at that time destroyed and rebuilt version of the stunning Frauenkirche later) and the Elbsandsteingebirge, Schloss Sanssouci, a hike on the Broken and a visit at the Quedlinburg cathedral and - especially - several visits to the island of Rügen and the Baltic Sea. I started to visit Berlin much later on my own, only from 2006 on, which is a little bit sad, as it would have been even more interesting to see all the changes between 1990 and today from early on. However, since then I've been there over 30 times already, visiting it now at least twice a year and - although having friends there for a few years now - without any family there that might demand such regular visits. The eastern federal states are really a beauty, especially rich in culture and history (Goethe, Schiller, Luther, Bach to name only a few of the most famous Germans in history being related to these regions) and absolutely worth a visit. However, I can not overlook, that I did not always felt very welcome, traveling there. These were certainly rare occasions, but happening so often, that I felt some correlation to the regions there. That ranged from a very taciturn experience at restaurants and quite unfriendly camping site hosts to a very Neo-nazi friendly behavior of the Dresdner police. I can understand mistrust towards west Germans to a certain degree - and maybe Ashton, that should have been another important facet of your video, how the Treuhand agency was exploited by many western capitalists in the aftermath of reunification, to fraudulently seize the remaining East German national wealth - and can believe that sometimes this could lead to a much more relaxed relationship to international travelers. But in the end I can not free myself from the prejudice that I can not feel safe in a society, where I have to expect that every third would vote for a party like the AfD, which is to be expected in Thuringia. Because there is a line I will always have to draw. To be fair, there is a place, I felt much more unsafe and where I thought that infrastructure and poverty was much worse than anywhere in Germany's east: My only (very limited) visit to the United States, to Atlanta, Georgia.

[@gittaspruck4341]

Hey Ashton, I would recomment GÖRLITZ a City between Germany und Poland

[@kermitfrosch6559]

Görlitz is a former large city with over 100000 residents that is now split into two parts due to the fatal demarcation of borders after WW2. The eastern part of the city belongs to Poland now.

[@VenusEvan_1885]

Poland? 🤮👎

[@jurgenschmidt2759]

As a Thuringian of course I have places to recommend in that region, Weimar as cultural hotspot, the Erfurt medieval inner city and one of the best "Weihnachtsmarkt" in Germany, the "Wartburg" in Eisenach and of course the "Rennsteig", the track on top of the Thuringian Forrest with lots of interesting and beautiful spots, the "Saalfelder Feengrotten" and many more

[@arianesilbermehr3012]

Thank you for an interesting video. As an East-German, I would recommend you to visit Mecklenburg -Vorpommern as well as the Harz region in Saxony-Anhalt. The Harz region, especially the Upper Harz, are slowly recovering from the fires in 2018 and 2022. A new forrest is growing out of the old one. If you want to find out what a mystery fairy tale forrest is like, visit the Lower Harz region.

[@grischakugelmann2660]

Dear Ashton, I recomment visiting the Brocken mountain in the Harz region and within it the city Wernigerode (taste the handmade and fresh Baumkuchen) and a few other citys arround it, as well as the lake and marshland landscape in the east of Rostock. cheers