This edited volume takes stock of German unification a quarter-century after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the founding of the Berlin Republic. Thirteen scholars, artists, and public figures from various backgrounds contribute essays that document the shifting hopes, anxieties, successes, and ongoing struggles that have shaped Germany’s post-unification journey. The book is structured to pose different questions and address multiple areas of German life—politics, culture, memory, and society—offering a multidimensional perspective on what unification has meant for both East and West Germans.

Contributors explore the persistence of regional differences, the negotiation of collective memory, and the evolving sense of national identity in a country still coming to terms with its divided past. The essays analyze the successes of the unification project, such as economic growth and international leadership, alongside the challenges of social integration, lingering inequalities, and the rise of new political movements. The volume also considers how art, literature, and public discourse have reflected and shaped the ongoing process of unification.