ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Elke Heidenreich on Post-Wall Travel Through East Germany

other · 2026-07-02

Elke Heidenreich reflects on the experience of traveling through the former East Germany as a West German after the fall of the Berlin Wall. She describes a mix of gratitude, melancholy, and the jarring contrast of cold roasted almonds that used to be warm. The piece captures the emotional and sensory disorientation of encountering a transformed landscape.

Key facts

  • Elke Heidenreich is a West German writer.
  • The piece recounts travel through the former East Germany after the Mauerfall (fall of the Berlin Wall).
  • Heidenreich experienced feelings of gratitude and melancholy.
  • She notes the presence of many young men with shaved heads at train stations.
  • The title references 'cold roasted almonds that used to be warm' as a metaphor.
  • The article was published in Süddeutsche Zeitung.
  • The piece is part of a series called 'Heidenreichs Fundstücke'.
  • The source URL is from the Kultur section of Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Entities

Artists

  • Elke Heidenreich

Institutions

  • Süddeutsche Zeitung

Locations

  • East Germany
  • West Germany

Sources