Former Salzwedel Sewing Factory Remembered 35 Years After German Reunification

The PGH Modewerkstätten sewing factory in Salzwedel once employed 140 workers, predominantly women, before closing rapidly after German reunification. Christel Olbrich, now 80, recently toured the abandoned half-timbered building where empty rooms and debris now occupy spaces that once held fabric shelves and rattling sewing machines. She recalled specific areas: one room where trousers were steamed, another that was her cozy department in the attic. The reportage explores lost work and collective memory at a site where fabric once rustled with activity. The factory disappeared within months following the Wende, the period of political change in 1989-1990. Olbrich noted the difficulty imagining the former bustling workspace while navigating loose cables and dust-covered floors. Her personal recollections include details about the physical layout and sensory experiences of the working environment.