"In the run-up to the elections to the Volkskammer on 18 March 1990, and after many years under West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, one of my great hopes was that a new electorate would also bring about political change in the Federal Republic. There were people on both sides who felt this way and it was a unifying factor. But there were many questions. Who would the new voters elect? What did our new fellow citizens think and feel? Were they enthusiastic about their first free elections or apprehensive about the latest developments? Or would they fail to show up at the polling stations? Would things go smoothly for this new Germany or would something go wrong?
The border dividing Germany cut through the historic town of Eichsfeld, splitting it into Obereichsfeld, which belonged to the GDR; and Eichsfeld, which was in Lower Saxony. The predominantly Catholic town of Eichsfeld had always found its identity in its strong faith, and in the years of the division there had been a deep-rooted scepticism towards the communist system on both sides of the border. During the elections to the Volkskammer in 1990, I was able to take photos, even inside the polling station, without having to identify or explain myself."
Bernd Schmidt (Göttingen)
