The empty German cities that deserve to be big

34 years after reunification, money if fleeing back to the east...

Photo by pollutants.eu on Unsplash

Dear Reader,

Thursday was German Reunification Day, the national holiday that marks the moment in 1990 when two Germanies became one. 

Because 21st century Teutons still at least uphold the national virtue of long-term planning, most turned Friday into a so-called Brückentag in their work calendars’ in order to enjoy a four-day weekend.

Every year, the state that holds the rotating speaker's role in the Bundesrat (Germany’s upper house) hosts a reunification party. This time around, it was the turn of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, whose state capital, Schwerin, was the scene of a speech by Olaf Scholz that was already forgotten before it had come to an end.

That evening, someone had pressed the button on the Scholzomat that explains how the rise of right-wing populism is damaging the country’s economy.

The sheepish applause from the audience of assorted functionaries perhaps reflected the fact the country has just slumped into another recession. Just the …