A Conversation with Journalist Simon Strauß and Cultural Historian Manfred Osten
HEILIGENDAMMER CONVERSATION
What Holds Us Together—On Closeness, Home, and Democracy
SSunday | October 25, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.
A person’s happiness depends on being close to others.
At our 4th Heiligendamm Discussion, our guests—journalist and author Simon Strauß and cultural historian Manfred Osten—will explore the question of how community can thrive in times of alienation.
We live in times of distance: political camps are hardening, social groups are drifting apart, and urban and rural areas seem to be growing ever more estranged from one another in a tense way. But where is closeness still possible—and what can it achieve?
In his highly acclaimed non-fiction book “In der Nähe. Vom Wert einer ostdeutschen Sehnsucht” (Closeness: On the Value of an East German Longing), he focuses on the small town of Prenzlau and explores what constitutes a good community life.
What can we learn about our democracy from our immediate neighborhood?
In conversation with Simon Strauß, the discussion centers on the power of closeness, on community and conflict—and on the question of whether the small town might be a place where we can relearn democracy and how to live together.
“Simon Strauß takes seriously the realization that society always unfolds at the local level. This is especially true for East Germany. Anyone who wants to know how people here shape their society must read this book.” Heinz Bude
“The truth is always concrete, but never simple. With his very personal book, Simon Strauß succeeds in crafting an exemplary narrative of East German and all-German living conditions since 1945.” Dirk Oschmann
