Closed Society - Photographs by Heike Zappe

Bernd has died. And with him, the "Feuchte Willi". The oldest colonist village in the Oderbruch has lost its permanent social meeting place. The quaint, traditional pub in the middle of the village will no longer be open. No more regulars' tables with locals and holidaymakers, no more lung sausage with potato salad, no more tapping of bock beer, no more carnival and no more dance concerts by one of the region's many cover bands.
Neulietzegöricke is not alone in suffering this fate. Social change is taking place in the surrounding villages: farms are being closed down, young people are moving away, village pubs are closing down

Village pubs are places where neighbors come together
But you can't look back nostalgically and say: yes, there used to be village consumption, there were village pubs and there was a harmonious life in the village. The individualization of our society and its fragmentation has been going on for many years. As a result of social and economic developments, the pandemic, the outbreak of war and inflation, there is often simply not enough money to run a pub. Many young people move away when they go to college or university. But an active village life, opinion-forming, even democracy, needs carefree encounters, spaces to exchange ideas. Even in the pub.
Photographer Heike Zappe seeks out places where neighbors still meet for a beer after work or even for lunch, even if the kitchen is only open once a week. And there are still a few family-run inns with a long tradition. Here, where the neighbors from the village and the neighboring towns come together and talk; sometimes in several generations, whether man, woman, long-established or newcomer. But, of course, it is also a reminder of the place where the owners retired and quietly hoped for the revival of their inn and, with it, interpersonal encounters.

July - August 3, 2025
Cabinet exhibition in the Altlangsow school and prayer house
Heike Zappe
Closed society
Photographs
Vernissage: Sat, July 5, 2025, 3 pm
Altlangsow 11
15306 Seelow