After more than two decades and 2 trillion euros worth of investment, eastern Germany trails western parts of the county in many economic indices. A new atlas of deindustrialization shows how stark the disparities are.
An atlas shows the extent of East German de-industrialization following reunification. The commissioner in charge of improving the situation sees reason for hope.
Large income disparities between the states that made up the former East and West Germany have persisted even after transfers of 2 trillion euros ($2.72 trillion) have been made to the former East.
The investments were meant to create a sort of economic equilibrium between both parts of Germany, and, after nearly a quarter-century, the result is clear.
"There's not one location in Germany, but two," said Gerald Braun, a professor of regional development and entrepreneurship at the University of Rostock in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
The professor published an "Atlas of Industrialization in East Germany" using maps to portray the region's most important economic data.
