Leaving the familiar terrain and broadening one's horizons - that became the motto of the people in our country in 1987. The beginning was made by our prime minister: Johannes Rau ran for the chancellorship in Bonn. Udo Lindenberg made his way to Wuppertal to meet Erich Honecker, who was making his first official visit to the West. Many North Rhine-Westphalians took to the streets for the first time - whether to save their jobs or against the census.
Luise Pawlowsky from Langenfeld also boycotted the 1987 census, which made her a thorn in the side of the city administration. First she received a fine, then her car suddenly disappeared and finally her salary was seized. Today she tells of her insane fight against the institutions.
Toni Schumacher was at the peak of his career in 1987. At 1. FC Köln and in the national team, the goalkeeper was celebrated as a star. Until he broke new ground - as a book author - and triggered a scandal with his autobiography "Anpfiff", with devastating consequences for his career. The Rhinelander recalls a time when his world was turned upside down. And tells of a love that never fades.
In 1987, the town of Kevelaer was decked out. The Pope had announced his visit. For the occasion, Rolf Reinhardt wanted to put a special treat in the window of his sweet shop: Lollies with the image of the pontiff. However, he had not reckoned with the storm of indignation that followed. Until finally the Pope's aide gave the story a decisive twist that has changed Reinhardt's life to this day.
In Hattingen, the steelworkers had just fought in vain to keep the Henrichshütte, and now the Krupp plant in Duisburg-Rheinhausen was unexpectedly on the brink of closure. Works councillor Theo Steegmann was on the front line and witnessed how helplessness grew into a movement that first brought the whole of Duisburg and then the whole Ruhr area onto the streets. He reports on a self-confident workforce that in 1987 gave the starting signal for the longest industrial action in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany.
1987 was an icy year in NRW - in the economy and in the weather. A rainstorm of the century paralysed large parts of Westphalia - and on Shrove Monday of all days. In the Sauerland, the ECD Iserlohn was on thin ice because of its connections to Libya. And the icy glances between Prince Charles and Lady Di caused a sensation during the royal visit to the Rhineland.
The film is narrated by Mariele Millowitsch, who already thrilled the people of NRW in theatre and on television in 1987.
First broadcast: Friday, 28 September 2018, 8.15 p.m., WDR
OUR LAND 1987 - Beyond the Horizon Goes On
Leaving the familiar terrain and broadening one's horizons - that became the motto of the people in our country in 1987. The beginning was made by our prime minister: Johannes Rau ran for the chancellorship in Bonn. Udo Lindenberg made his way to Wuppertal to meet Erich Honecker, who was making his first official visit to the West. Many North Rhine-Westphalians took to the streets for the first time - whether to save their jobs or against the census.
