The Miners‘ Bathtub
The picturesque town of Zinnowitz on the German Baltic Sea coast was a resort for Wismut uranium miners during the GDR era. Here, more than almost anywhere else, the period of reunification left its mark.
In particular, the “Roter Oktober” vacation home (now the Hotel Baltic) served as a resort for the miners. The artist Reinhard Meyer is a defining figure in Zinnowitz’s history, whose life is closely tied to the GDR’s past and to Wismut. As a musician, he worked for SDAG Wismut during the GDR era and performed regularly for the miners at the “Roter Oktober.” At the same time, as a painter, he was politically persecuted, was not allowed to work officially, and endured imprisonment and repression.
It was only after German reunification that he was able to freely pursue his art. Together with his wife, he artistically redesigned the former vacation home, replacing socialist motifs with maritime scenes. While many people left the town, Meyer remained in Zinnowitz and built a new life for himself with the Kunsthaus. His story exemplifies the transition from oppression to artistic freedom and the personal opportunities that arose despite the upheavals of the reunification era.
