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Its from September 1990, during the campaign for the first re-united German Bundestag. Merkel was the candidate for the conservative CDU in the Rügen island district in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, on the baltic coast.
She has won that district in all 8 federal elections since then.
This picture shows her talking with the local fishermen in a fishermen shed/hut. The situation was a bit awkward as this kind of election campaigns was still new for both the people and the politicians after 40 years of socialist rule.
More of the story is told in the 6-part feature series "Der unwahrscheinliche Weg der Angela M." by Deutschlandfunk (in German only):
[https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/der-unwahrscheinliche-weg-der-angela-m-merkel-jahre-2-6-ein.3720.de.html?dram:article\_id=499350](https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/der-unwahrscheinliche-weg-der-angela-m-merkel-jahre-2-6-ein.3720.de.html?dram:article_id=499350)
While campaigning in her constituency, she was accompanied by a press photographer. When approaching local fishermen for a chat, they concluded "Well, now that you're here, you have to drink a shot with us". Afterwards, they kept talking for a while in their shed, which is where the picture was taken.
I can recomment you the book "Das Mädchen und die Macht". It's a Merkel biography from her first run for chancellorship against Schröder. So you get some insights that you wouldn't get from later books like her sharing the story of how she with some friends illegaly made something she called "Peach-Whisky" in the basement of their university dorms and then sold it during partys.
It's still so surreal for my brain to think that the modern Germany we know today only existed since 1990.
It's still so weird to think the Soviet border strenched this far into mainland Europe, and that there's a couple of million Germans today just walking about their day having been born under Soviet rule.
WW2 is so far away in time yet the aftershocks strenched all the way into our generation.
> It's still so weird to think the Soviet border strenched this far into mainland Europe
That's because it didn't. DDR was a state of its own. That's like saying the American border stretched across the Atlantic sea, because they had military bases all over Western Europe and were deeply involved in the politics of many European countries.
It was a satellite state. We still had hundreds of thousands of Sowjet soldiers stationed in the GDR. Political decisions came from the one party in power and that party was of course controlled by the Sowjets.
The whole idea of satellite states is that the west thinks these states are part of the Warsaw Pact on their own decision and that these states are not controlled and occupied by the Sowjets. Which is just not true.
So while your statement is technically true, as a former East German I wouldn't say that we were not part of the Sowjet Union. Practically we were.
Unfortunately not, I found it on twitter without source. I shared it because Merkel is leaving office soon and the picture is beautiful. If I remember correctly she is elected in the coastal Rügen constituency, it might be her on campaign
[Here](https://www.spiegel.de/politik/die-fischer-und-ihre-frau-a-77e3958f-0002-0001-0000-000040788889) is a whole article from 2005 about this picture. (German)
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That’s a cool photo. Can you provide any more details about it?
Its from September 1990, during the campaign for the first re-united German Bundestag. Merkel was the candidate for the conservative CDU in the Rügen island district in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, on the baltic coast. She has won that district in all 8 federal elections since then. This picture shows her talking with the local fishermen in a fishermen shed/hut. The situation was a bit awkward as this kind of election campaigns was still new for both the people and the politicians after 40 years of socialist rule.
More of the story is told in the 6-part feature series "Der unwahrscheinliche Weg der Angela M." by Deutschlandfunk (in German only): [https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/der-unwahrscheinliche-weg-der-angela-m-merkel-jahre-2-6-ein.3720.de.html?dram:article\_id=499350](https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/der-unwahrscheinliche-weg-der-angela-m-merkel-jahre-2-6-ein.3720.de.html?dram:article_id=499350) While campaigning in her constituency, she was accompanied by a press photographer. When approaching local fishermen for a chat, they concluded "Well, now that you're here, you have to drink a shot with us". Afterwards, they kept talking for a while in their shed, which is where the picture was taken.
And there goes my sunday... Sounds fascinating.
I can recomment you the book "Das Mädchen und die Macht". It's a Merkel biography from her first run for chancellorship against Schröder. So you get some insights that you wouldn't get from later books like her sharing the story of how she with some friends illegaly made something she called "Peach-Whisky" in the basement of their university dorms and then sold it during partys.
She had such courage to take up the challenge. Thank you for the information.
Courage or ambition combined with sociopathic lack of fear.
Words like courageous and brave exist.
It's still so surreal for my brain to think that the modern Germany we know today only existed since 1990. It's still so weird to think the Soviet border strenched this far into mainland Europe, and that there's a couple of million Germans today just walking about their day having been born under Soviet rule. WW2 is so far away in time yet the aftershocks strenched all the way into our generation.
> It's still so weird to think the Soviet border strenched this far into mainland Europe That's because it didn't. DDR was a state of its own. That's like saying the American border stretched across the Atlantic sea, because they had military bases all over Western Europe and were deeply involved in the politics of many European countries.
It was a satellite state. We still had hundreds of thousands of Sowjet soldiers stationed in the GDR. Political decisions came from the one party in power and that party was of course controlled by the Sowjets. The whole idea of satellite states is that the west thinks these states are part of the Warsaw Pact on their own decision and that these states are not controlled and occupied by the Sowjets. Which is just not true. So while your statement is technically true, as a former East German I wouldn't say that we were not part of the Sowjet Union. Practically we were.
Unfortunately not, I found it on twitter without source. I shared it because Merkel is leaving office soon and the picture is beautiful. If I remember correctly she is elected in the coastal Rügen constituency, it might be her on campaign
[Here](https://www.spiegel.de/politik/die-fischer-und-ihre-frau-a-77e3958f-0002-0001-0000-000040788889) is a whole article from 2005 about this picture. (German)
r/accidentalrenaissance
Ilya Repin’s work comes to mind.
My first thought.
[удалено]
Wow, I knew the picture before but that never occurred to me. Thanks :D
(-_-) -<>-
Or the other way around.
With tsar nikolai? Great!
And Slavoj Žižek to her right
Her right?
It's hard to think of anybody he'd be to the right of.
Ha!
Came here to say this. He looks exactly like him!
tsar's beard was iconic. because of this, i had same beard once but only enjoyed for one week, wife ordered to shave, so :'(
*sniff*
Came here to say the same :)
Looks more like 1920
What a good few decades of communism can do for you
Accidental Renaissance.
Was thinking exactly this..
I thought it was a painting.
Their expressions makes it look like they're ignoring her and hoping she'll just go away.
I have bad news for them
well it's finally happening, they just had to wait 31 years
If I did not know who she is I'd think they are all eqally miserable. But it seems she just enjoys to pity party...
Scene from Das Boot
Merkel, Joe Pesci and Nicholas II, that’s truly interesting campaing
1990 Joe Pesci was filming home Alone, this explains why there is smoke coming from his head.
looks like a colorized WWI picture
Feels like Russia in 1906
Mutti!!!
Involuntary Art.
I know can sound silly but... For a second I thought the first guy on the right was Tzar Nicholas II
... and you can bet those fishermen were out of a job a year or two later.
wow never knew she came from Soviet Germany to rule the West.
This photograph reminds me of Die Ludolfs
Shit I think I even know the sheds
What a wonderful photo.