The fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, has brought about significant changes for Eastern Germany. Our short film explores some success stories, including start-ups and traditional companies, subsidiaries of foreign giants and world-renowned research institutes.
Thirty years ago, the two Germanies became one again. A lot changed in the aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification on October 3, 1990. With five “new federal states” and the reunited city state of Berlin, the territory of what had been Communist East Germany, the German Democratic Republic, became part of the Federal Republic of Germany.
For decades, Berlin was not seen as an important industrial location. But in recent years, start-ups have been transforming the city, and 3D printing technology has become a major driver of change. These innovative companies are looking for international cooperation and finance.
The phase-out of coal mining in Brandenburg has pushed the chemical and plastics industries to the fore. Around 600 companies are active in this sector in the eastern German state, and are pushing growth. A number are based in Schwarzheide.
The area around the town of Anklam in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is traditionally agricultural. Now, healthcare companies from Germany and abroad are discovering the benefits of the northern German location.
For a long time, the city of Görlitz, on the border with Poland, suffered from the decline of the coal industry. But the Saxon city is being regenerated as a tourist location and is now positioning itself as an attractive real estate location with several advantages for investors and international companies.
The future looked bleak for Halberstadt in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt – a city dependent on a dying industry. Then it became one of eastern Germany’s “model cities for reconstruction” and developed into a hub for medical technology.
Ilmenau in Thuringia has successfully made the transition from traditional industry during the GDR era to a prime, modern location for technology. Companies can find large industrial sites for development and a strong local science network.
