Paper short abstract:

The paper is to discuss the activities of the inhabitants of Werben, a small town in eastern Germany. They use history to enhance the attractivity of their town for tourists, while the bourgeois sources of the past serve to develop the quality of living.

Paper long abstract:

Werben is a small town in eastern Germany. When the inhabitants of Werben talk about their town they locate it in the middle of nowhere, since it is situated at the periphery of the current economic and social dynamics. Since jobs in the region are scarce, many people migrated to western Germany. Meanwhile, Werben's attractivity rests in is history. The old town preserves a more or less intact ensemble from the beginning of the nineteenth century. It is surrounded by gardens, and storks are chattering from the roofs. These characteristics give visitors the impression of coming to a town from the early nineteenth century period known as "Biedermeier" that has not changed during the past two centuries. Since 2004 people in Werben restore their historical heritage in order to construct a new Biedermeier-Werben so as to create new jobs in the touristic sector.

The paper will discuss how the people in Werben use history -- buildings and surroundings, furniture and clothes -- to turn their town into the convincing replica of a Biedermeier-town. In this context, history is interpreted in a peculiar manner, while holding various functions and values for different people. The paper will show how history is used by the agents of the civil society who discover the bourgeois sources of the past and mix it with some of the better qualities of the GDR-heritage to enhance the quality of living in their town.