The German Review

The German Review

Why Germany needs new national heroes

Germany has dismantled its old national myths — but never replaced them.

Jörg Luyken's avatar
Jörg Luyken
May 02, 2024
∙ Paid
brown concrete building under white clouds during daytime
The Hermannsdenkmal. Photo by fabian wohlgemuth on Unsplash

Dear Reader,

On the hunt for a biography of former chancellor Willy Brandt, I dropped into a small bookshop near my house last week. 

When I told the owner what I was after, he launched into an excited eulogy to the former chancellor.

As luck would have it, I had walked into a store owned by Brandt…

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