The silence disappears from Suhl-Nord: a city in the dismantling chaos!

The silence disappears from Suhl-Nord: a city in the dismantling chaos!

Suhl, Deutschland - On July 10, 2025, the city of Suhl-Nord throws a thoughtful light on the challenges of urban development in East Germany. The district was built in the middle of the GDR building in the middle of the 1970s when the shortage of living space had to be solved urgently. At that time, Suhl-Nord was built with over 5,600 apartments in a prefabricated building according to the WBS70 system and offered space for 14,000 people. Kindergartens, schools and shops ensured that the district was alive and flourished. But with the reunification in 1989 the creeping decay.

After the turn, many companies closed and the emigration to the west increased rapidly. Coolis.de reports that many apartments were empty and gradually accepted the quality of life. There were new shops for a short time in the 1990s, but ultimately the decline continued. In 2001, those responsible decided to demolish Suhl-Nord because of the high vacancy, but lack of money and bureaucracy delayed the implementation of these plans.

The process of dismantling

The dismantling in Suhl-Nord is not an isolated case. In East Germany there have been constant residents since reunification, which were caused by falling birth rates and massive emigration to the West. In 1991, around 14 million people still lived in the new federal states, but today there are only 12 million. In Suhl, the population fell from 56,000 in 1989 to around 36,000 to 2021. The city renovation in Suhl is part of a larger trend in which many cities try to "shrink healthy" and to adapt to the new demographic reality (mdr.de).

As part of the “Stadtaufauen Ost” program, around 370,000 apartments were demolished between 2001 and 2018 to stabilize the high vacancy rate. Suhl-Nord is now being converted into a CO2-neutral commercial and research area, but delays and bureaucratic hurdles hinder the implementation of these plans ([bpb.de] (https://www.bpb.de/themen/deutschlandarchiv/286642/stadtumbau-ost-tloesung-einerwohnungs question/)).

The future of Suhl-Nord

A few residents hold on their apartments despite the difficult circumstances - be it for emotional reasons or because they cannot move. But the question remains: How should the decay and the changes be dealt with? The dismantling alone could not be the solution to meet the challenges. Cities like Suhl-Nord are faced with the task of developing sustainable concepts that can keep up with the demographic changes and with the need for affordable living space.

The stories and memories of the people who live in Suhl-Nord are part of a larger story about change in several East German cities such as Halle-Neustadt, Hoyerswerda and Leipzig-Grünau. The long -term effects of urban redesign on personal life stories and social ties are often not sufficiently considered.

The dismantling and the gradual conversion of the district impressively shows how urban space loses relevance in the change of time, but also what potential can be found in it if you find creative solutions for conversion and upgrading.