Uwe Rada

The research trip for my book was important in two ways. Firstly, the publisher and I had decided to print a journal of a journey from the source of the Oder to the Baltic Sea in parallel with the cultural history of the river – and to print it in the margin column. So naturally, the trip served as raw material. Secondly, I wanted to do research on the river and the people that live there today. What role does the river play in everyday life? What is its significance in collective perception? Is the Oder even being rediscovered? The trip, which was actually divided into several stages, was also essential from that perspective.

Die Oder. Lebenslauf eines Flusses, hardback with dust cover, 224 pages, 140 illustrations, 19.90 €, published in October 2005 by Verlag Gustav Kiepenheuer. ISBN 3-378-01079-7

A journey to the German-Polish border region is a journey to the end of the world. That is how the book "Zwischenland" begins. On the Polish side, the region between Stettin and Zittau is still regarded as the "Wild West". That was one insight gained during my research trip. Another is that this region, which many people ignore, is also a seismograph of German-Polish relations. Wherever people meet, be it at a bazaar or gas station, stereotypes lose their power. Incidentally, what surprised me was how the people in this border region do not look at other towns in their vicinity, but orient themselves to Berlin or the nearest big Polish city instead. They still have a long way to go before the German-Polish border territory becomes a region with which they can identify. The many “pioneers” I met on my research trip have already set out on that road.

Zwischenland. Europäische Geschichten aus dem deutsch-polnischen Grenzgebiet. bebra-verlag.
256 pages, 19.90 €. ISBN: 3-89809-045-0