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INSIDE GERMANY

Inside Germany: Gearing up for state elections and the German ‘Switzerlands’

From new polls showing the tight race for eastern state elections to a 'placeholder' surname and the Switzerlands of Germany, here's what we're talking about this week.

Published: 24 August 2024 11:07 CEST
Tourists in Germany's Sächsische Schweiz or Saxon Switzerland - the country's most famous Swiss area.
Tourists in Germany's Sächsische Schweiz or Saxon Switzerland - the country's most famous Swiss area. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Robert Michael

Inside Germany is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in Germany that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.

Election race in eastern Germany heats up

With just over a week before people in Thuringia and Saxony vote for a new state parliament, representative polls have captured the tense political mood.

The surveys, conducted on behalf of German broadcaster ARD, show that in Saxony, it’s a tight race between the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). And in Thuringia the AfD is leading. 

READ ALSO: Far-right firebrand Björn Höcke draws crowds in eastern state

Saxony is currently governed by a coalition of CDU, SPD and Greens – a grouping that would no longer have a majority if the polls are correct.

According to polls, the CDU are set to secure 31 percent of the vote in Saxony, while the AfD is on course for 30 percent. The Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) Alliance are the third strongest force with 14 percent of the vote. The polling institute puts the Social Democrats (SPD) at seven percent and the Greens at six percent. Die Linke (The Left Party) are currently on course to miss the five percent threshold to enter parliament.

In Thuringia, the AfD, with its controversial regional leader Björn Höcke, could emerge as the strongest force in the state elections, with the party currently polling at 30 percent. It’s followed by the CDU with 23 percent and the BSW with 17 percent. The Left Party would receive 13 percent and the SPD seven percent, the polls say. The Greens and the Free Democrats (FDP) are both polling on three percent. The Left are currently in a governing coalition with the SPD and Greens. 

Supporters gather as Björn Höcke, leader and top candidate of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the eastern German state of Thuringia, addresses an election campaign event in Apolda, eastern Germany on August 18, 2024.

Supporters gather as Björn Höcke, leader and top candidate of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the eastern German state of Thuringia, addresses an election campaign event in Apolda, eastern Germany on August 18, 2024. Photo by JENS SCHLUETER / AFP

Alarmingly, support for Höcke and his party comes after high profile court cases in which he was fined twice for using a banned Nazi slogan. The state chapter of the AfD in the state has also been classed as extremist by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency. 

Yet many people are standing up to the far-right and sometimes in inventive ways. We reported last week how an orchestra group have brought their Lebenslaute (life noise) musical protests to Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia. 

READ ALSO: Why a German orchestra is using music to protest against the far-right

We’re yet to see exactly how the elections will turn out. The polls provide a snapshot of the political atmosphere but many people decide on their vote at the last minute. September is a key month for politics in Germany. And with Brandenburg holding state elections on September 22nd, all eyes are on the east. 

READ MORE: 

Tweet of the week  

We imagine ‘Mustermann’ could be one of the trickiest surnames to explain to German bureaucrats.

Why are many parts of Germany called “Switzerland”?

From the Sächsische Schweiz, Fränkische Schweiz to the Holsteinische Schweiz (Saxon Switzerland, Franconian Switzerland and Holstein Switzerland), many parts of Germany are named after the neighbouring country. 

Overall there are over 100 spots in Germany that have “Switzerland” – but why is that?

It comes down to Switzerland’s beauty. The country is known for its stunning landscapes, including gorgeous mountains, blue lakes and quaint villages. 

Similar landscape features can be found in Germany, and since some of these regions are said to be comparable to the beauty of Switzerland, they were given the nickname “Schweiz” (Switzerland) in the 19th century, according to a report in Germany’s RND this week.

At that time wealthy people preferred the Alps as a travel destination. So if a long journey to Switzerland was too arduous or too expensive for them, they travelled to similar areas in Germany such as Gößweinstein, Waischenfeld or Buttenheim, which became known as Franconian Switzerland. 

Artists and writers are said to have coined the term as early as the Romantic era. 

But there are also some “Switzerlands” in the lowlands of Germany, for example in Dithmarschen, East Frisia or Münsterland. A pleasant landscape or grazing cows were enough for some locals to make a comparison to Switzerland and add it to the region’s name.

Switzerland’s beauty is known around the world. There are also destinations in the likes of France, Poland, Israel, Namibia, New Zealand, Korea, Japan, Haiti, Martinique and the USA that have ‘Switzerland’ slotted into their names. 

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INSIDE GERMANY

Inside Germany: Citizenship law fallout, Brückentage and the world’s narrowest street

From the influx of citizenship applications after dual nationality came in to wild summer weather and the narrowest street in the world, here are a few things we're talking about this week in Germany.

Published: 17 August 2024 10:11 CEST
Inside Germany: Citizenship law fallout, Brückentage and the world's narrowest street

Inside Germany is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in Germany that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article. 

How are citizenship offices coping with the new law?

Most foreigners in Germany were hugely excited to see the new dual nationality law come into force on June 27th this year – but many people also had some justified concerns. 

With the notoriously slow bureaucracy at many citizenship offices around Germany, it seemed like the new law could stir things up even more and lead to even longer delays. In fact, most authorities The Local spoke to ahead of the rule changes said they had already seen a huge spike in Syrian refugees applying to become German and expected the number of applications to double or even triple under the new law.

So, how are they faring two months later? Have fears about overwhelm at citizenship offices turned out to be true?

Though it’s still early days, it certainly seems like one prediction has held up: the number of people applying to be German has shot up significantly.

In Bavaria, BR24 recently reported that 8,400 people submitted an application for naturalisation in June alone, smashing the previous average of around 5,600 per month this year. The number for July was expected to be even larger. 

In Berlin, meanwhile, 26,000 applications have been submitted since the start of the year. In comparison, only 9,000 were processed last year. Though things are moving much faster under the new digital system, SPD political Orkan Özdemir told us the goal was still to avoid major delays in the coming months. 

READ ALSO: Can Berlin handle surge of German citizenship applications?

While the situation seems tense, it’s heartening to know that many citizenship offices are already taking steps to digitalise and streamline processes, as well as hiring as many new staff as they can to cope with the influx. Of course, if you are worried about delays, we’ve got some tips for you here that could help speed things up.  

Do you have an experience of applying for citizenship under the new law you’d like to share with us? We’d love to hear from you at [email protected].  

Tweet of the week

The concept of Brückentage – bridging days between bank holidays and weekends – is a genius one, but it does make it strange for those keen employees who actually decide to turn up to work.  

Where is this?

Storm in Lower Saxony

Photo: Photo: dpa | Hauke-Christian Dittrich

It may look like something out of an eerie ghost movie, but this striking snap was actually taken on Tuesday in the German town of Oldenburg in Lower Saxony.

When it comes to the summer weather, there’s been no shortage of drama this week, with soaring heat giving way to explosive thunderstorms, torrential rain, and even devastating ‘100-year’ floods. 

Did you know?

Europe’s historical city centres are known for their small, meandering alleyways and slender streets. But did you know that an little known city in Baden-Württemberg is home to the world’s smallest street? Spreuerhofstraße, located in Reutlingen, holds the Guiness World Record for smallest street in the world.

Thirty-one centimetres wide at its narrowest, and just 3.8 metres long, Spreuerhofstraße appears more like an alley (and a small one at that) than a street to many visitors. But since the entirety of the passageway, which runs between two closely built houses, is on municipal land it technically qualifies as a city street. Besides, it’s got straße right there in the name.

READ ALSO: 10 odd tourist attractions in Germany you shouldn’t miss

Spreuerhofstraße itself is perhaps not the most impressive sight. Anyone who decides to stroll through the world’s smallest street will inevitably find themselves squeezing, quite intimately, between two blank walls. And, if you do so on a rainy day, you’ll probably catch a few drops of water spilling over from an overhead gutter along the way. 

Still, the prospect of taking a gander at the world’s most miniature of roads, is enough to bring tourists from near and far to the humble town of Reutlingen – roughly 35 kilometres south of Stuttgart. Beside the smallest street, the city is home to an established textile industry, and machinery, leather goods and steel manufacturing facilities.

It’s also known as “gateway to the Swabian Jura”. So should you be compelled to visit the region’s picturesque limestone cliffs, valleys, and vast meadows, you could consider a quick stop by the world’s smallest street on the way.

With reporting by Paul Krantz

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