Ein Jahrhundertleben (Folge 2) | Das Vermächtnis der 100-Jährigen | NDR Doku

They are around 100 years old and have witnessed political and social upheavals of a number and magnitude that are almost unimaginable for many people today: Born into the Roaring Twenties, they experienced the Great Depression and the Nazi seizure of power as children. World War II was followed by a life marked by hardship and new beginnings. Decades of German division were followed by reunification. And in their retirement, technological innovations, unforeseen new crises, and the transformation of the global political order have accelerated at a pace that even young people struggle to keep up with. This documentary takes a journey through German history. For this NDR production, nine women and men from Northern Germany delved deeply into their memories, opened their photo albums, and tell compelling and moving stories from their roughly 100 years of life. Hermine Trimde, née Vainowska, was born on February 14, 1919, in Riga. Against her father's wishes, she trained as an actress and at 19 landed a job at the local state theater. But her career ended before it truly began. In 1941, she was resettled from Latvia to Germany and has lived in Rostock since 1952. A single mother, she supported her six children. Shortly before her 100th birthday, she flew to Riga with one of her sons to visit the theater where she had once performed. Her descendants include her six children, 11 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren, and 7 great-great-grandchildren: "When I close my eyes, I will leave behind a family that is intact." Ingeborg Maria Erna Möller, known as Inge, née Fabricius, was born in 1923 in Stolp/Hinterpommern. Heinz Karl Otto Möller, known as Heinz, was also born in 1923. The two have been married since 1945. They always stayed in Barth in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, a typical East German family. Of their four children, both daughters have already passed away. Anna Möschter lives in Hamburg, was born in 1924 in Bildstock, Saarbrücken. She married in 1945. Her last job was at the post office in the television tower. Two years after her retirement in 1984, her husband died. She learned to take charge of her own life and spent a lot of time with her grandchildren. Today she says: Family is the most important thing – and it's what she loves to live for. To this day, she enjoys going to the Reeperbahn, the Schmidt Theater, and the Operettenhaus. Irmgard Eiben from Wilhelmshaven was almost completely deaf. At 94, she had a cochlear implant fitted and has truly blossomed ever since. Because it has made her fit to drive again, she rides an electric scooter and meets up with her friends to chat about literature, sexuality, and current politics. When asked how faith can help in life and with regard to the end of life, she says: "There are always questions that remain unanswered, questions that only faith or experience can answer. Life remains a rollercoaster until the very end." Irmgard Eiben's story is that of a woman who doesn't simply let her life fade away, but embarks on entirely new paths. More information: https://www.ndr.de/geschichte/koepfe/... #ndr #ndrdoku #jahrhundertleben