Tag Archives: East Germany

What do Brecht’s overlooked collages tell us about how fascism took hold?

Bertolt Brecht believed that theater should not only entertain the audience but also make them think politically. The German playwright and poet thought that to achieve this effect, the play should be shocking rather than flashy. Actors must step out of character to address their audience, and the plot must be fragmented and interrupted. In… Read More »

Inside the old communist utopia on its way to becoming the EU Capital of Culture

As you sit at the rooftop bar of the Congress Hotel in Chemnitz, looking out at the bleak modern cityscape below, you get a good idea of ​​what Western Europe might have looked like if Russia had won the Cold War. Beneath this ugly socialist skyscraper are rows of brutalist apartment blocks – soulless, anonymous,… Read More »