Refine
Document Type
- Review (2)
Language
- English (2)
Has Fulltext
- yes (2)
Is part of the Bibliography
- no (2)
Institute
Year of publication
- 2018 (2) (remove)
From 1982 to 1986, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) carried out its largest project in the transport sector near Sassnitz on the Rügen Island. Several thousand workers erected a ferry port with a track system including the Soviet broad gauge (1520mm) as well as the European gauge (1435mm). Upon completion, five huge double-deck ferries took over a large share of freight traffic between the GDR and the Soviet Union, its largest trading partner and most important ally. Consequently, the costly and time-consuming transit through the Polish People's Republic could be reduced significantly. Additionally, the Mukran ferry port was of military significance.
Based on archival research, secondary literature, as well as interviews with contemporary witnesses, journalist and historian Wolfgang Klietz sheds light on such diverse topics as the genesis of the ferry port, its precursors, construction work and construction workers, the ferries, strategic planning and military significance, the partner port in Soviet Klaipeda, as well as the role of the Mukran port during the withdrawal of Soviet troops in the beginning of the 1990s. One chapter is even dedicated to archaeological discoveries during construction work. Three additional chapters are based on conversations that the author conducted with three contemporary witnesses: the head of the construction project, a "Bausoldat" [1], as well as a ferry captain
Die Energiesicherheit Deutschlands und Polens im Kontext der EU is the author's published master thesis. The aim of the book is to make a contribution to the ongoing discussion about the European Union's energy security strategy. Sybille Reitz's focus is on the cases of Germany and Poland, which are meant to represent "old" and "new" EU member states (p. 22). The author points out the differences and similarities of both cases and highlights potential solutions to improve energy security. While the analysis focuses on the 2000s and especially the first half of the 2010s, according to Reitz, however, the most significant difference between the Polish and German approaches to energy security results from their respective historical experiences.