Germany's railways, once a national pride, now symbolize the country's broader social and economic worries as it prepares for significant elections. A recent Guardian journey of over 850 miles revealed deep-seated fears among citizens regarding increasing polarization and a potential drift towards far-right politics. Conversations in several cities highlighted frustrations with bureaucracy, energy costs, and, of course, the poor state of the German trains. Historically affected by its past, Germany stands at a crossroads, with citizens questioning the nation's direction amid existential challenges.
In conversations with more than 50 people across five cities and over six days, we heard their hopes, fears and aspirations.
Some spoke of increasing polarisation, of worries that a country that has spent decades undoing the evils of nazism could be heading back to the populist far right.
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