Trades' meeting in Jerichower Land: A nostalgic review with 400 former
Trades' meeting in Jerichower Land: A nostalgic review with 400 former
What a journey through time! Today, on July 14, 2025, over 400 former Trassenbauer gather in Jerichower Land, Saxony-Anhalt, for a great “route meeting”. These nostalgic meetings have established themselves since 2006 and have been taking place at the Zabakuck campsite every year since then - at the beginning every two years. The occasion today is not without reason: the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking for the large natural gas line from Siberia to Europe is celebrated.
Not only for this reason, former workers and their families make a pilgrimage here. At the event, the book "Rock'n'roll on the route tube" by Hajo Obuchoff is also presented. The work is dedicated to the special dance music supply for the Trassenbauer. Obuchoff, who once worked as a "cultural nic" and ran a disco on the construction sites, unfortunately died in April 2025, shortly before the publication of his book.
Die Druschba-Trasse: A huge construction project
A central component of the route meeting is the memory of the Druschba-Trasse, which was initiated by the GDR as the central youth object of the Free German Youth. The name "Druschba", which means "friendship" in Russian, stands for the 2750 km long natural gas management network. The GDR section, which leads through Ukraine and ranges from KrementSchug to Ushgorod, was particularly important at 518 kilometers. The construction lasted from 1974 to 1978, and the GDR covered all costs for planning, technology and infrastructure.
A significant part of the materials - including pipes from Japan and the Federal Republic of Germany - was procured with great effort and high costs. Joachim Reinsch, the head of the natural gas project, expressed it as follows: "Everything has to be brought in from the GDR." Even the catering of the Trassenbauer was transported to the Soviet Union by air bridge.
The legendary Trassenbauer
The atmosphere at the route meeting is shaped by memories of the time when cultural workers and experts worked hand in hand. In addition to the engineers and technicians, these so -called "cultural niks" were indispensable. They not only created the right mood, they also helped promote the sense of community among the workers. At the nostalgic meetings, some participants will decorate their motorhome with GDR flags and reminiscent that are deeply anchored in the past.
The route supplies to the "Druschba-Trasse" were also not a sugar. Proud 105 kilometers of welding seams handmade and numerous cross connections due to difficult terrain are just a few of the challenges that the construction workers had to face. In addition to numerous streets and underground lines, swamps and the DNEPR were also crossed. There were also "route surcharges" for the workers and special benefits that sweetened the hard life on the construction site.
The events and the memories of the time of the route are more than just a review - they are a sign that the experiences and the community that were created during the time of the major construction projects are still alive today. The next meeting will surely be as emotionally as enriching and offers space for old, new and imperishable stories.
For more information on the great history of the Druschba-Trasse and the memories of the former Trassenbauer, a look at the reports of Superillu , wikipedia as well as Details Ort Jerichower Land, Deutschland Quellen
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