1989-2007 Germany from the sociocultural perspective of a Bydgoszcz resident

Abstract

 One can explore and discover the world in many ways. Sometimes, going somewhere, it seems that this is the RIGHT place, but years are passing by and it appears that it was only a “stop in life.” This article is dedicated to reflections on this matter and different things, which stages include Kassel, Gottingen and Berlin in the period of dynamic changes taking place in Germany, just before and in the first years after the unification of this country. This analysis is conducted from the perspective of a sociologist who through a turn of events got a second job as a radio reporter and press journalist. The study begins in the moment when nobody realized the approaching “wind of history” that radically changed the fate of not only Germany, but a significant part of Europe. The author did not witness the fall of the Berlin Wall, but looked at the reunification process of the country from a micro perspective, from two not very big towns (Kassel, Gottingen), which are not major cities of Germany. The longest stage, in terms of time, was his stay in Berlin, which for both the author and Berliners was one of the most dynamic periods in contemporary history. The article focuses on representatives of the German- Polish community - our compatriots appear in a wider context referring to the social life in Germany; it applies in particular to Berlin.