"These photos were taken on German Unity Day in the village of Ferch near Berlin. After the Wende, we began, in association with another real estate company, to manage a property there that had hitherto served as a state-run home. We intended to redevelop the site. We were in the process of getting to know the community and held a party on German Unity Day in which the villagers and the volunteer fire brigade band participated.
At the time, everyone was still feeling a sense of euphoria. But as is so often the case, things turned out differently than planned. The property developer initially chosen for the job was not able to finance and implement his plans, and it took a while before someone else was found to develop the site.
Now, a variety of town villas and private houses are located there. And it is still a lovely village on the banks of Lake Schwielow."
Rainer Schmidt (Berlin, born 1944)
