Hanna Henke has been pastor of the Passendorf community since 2023. Why she call herself a Neustadt-Fan and how understanding can succeed between generations, languages and faith.
Anna-Lena Wenzel: How long have you been working here in the Neustadt church?
Hanna Henke: since April 2023. I come from the old town and hardly knew the Neustadt at all. I already had this classic paternalistic view of it – problem area and such. And now I think it’s great here. It is very important to me that the church remains active in places like Neustadt. That’s why it was my heart’s desire to work here.
How long has this community been around?
The Passendorf church and the vicarage were built in the 1720s, both of which are Baroque buildings. When Neustadt was founded 60 years ago, it was very fortunate that the buildings were preserved, while the majority of Passendorf was dredged away. The GDR administration tried to stop it, but the people did it anyway. They went door-to-door, rang the bells everywhere and in this way the church built up against the resistance of the state.
How would you describe the church?
We are a liberal community. For example, gender-neutral address or feminist theology is important to me, and that is supported here. The community had many contacts abroad, there is a partner community in Latin America and the Netherlands. Guests came from all over the world, even in GDR times, which I find impressive. But we’re quite a bubble in Neustadt. I particularly notice this when it comes to political issues. We just had a conversation about being a pretty left-liberal force surrounded by a lot of AfD.
Do you deliberately tie in with the role of the church in the GDR, which was often a shelter for marginalized groups, system critics and dissidents?
If only because I regret that the church has withdrawn from socio-political discussions. I miss the avant-garde role she once had. But it was precisely this community that ventured far out of the window in the GDR era. The youth deacon Lothar Rochau has done open youth work. At some events, up to 500 young people were on the site, including a lot of punks. The church was very under observation. These are things that play a role in community memory. In 1983, Lothar Rochau was arrested on an environmental walk, together with other parishioners. If we lean out the window today and offer shelter seekers temporarily, some people are afraid that this will get us into trouble again. It is a question of weighing up: is an open meeting place or shelter, or is it possible to combine both?
You talk about “we”, who is meant by that?
We – that’s the church leadership with nine volunteers and me. I have just as much to say as the other church leaders. We decide democratically, that is, the majority. Sometimes I also mean the core community, which is around 200 people who regularly attend the events. We know each other and stand up for each other. When new people come, they are asked and who they are and what they need.
The residents of Neustadt are characterized, among other things, by two groups: older people and newcomers. Is this also reflected in the composition of the community?
Yes, the high age average is noticeable. Every three months, one of the regular churchgoers can no longer physically manage to keep coming. There are new people, but not as people die.
What is happening here on the site?
In addition to our community events, the site is used very actively by schools, clubs and all sorts of groups. There is a preschool and a band from the Kastanienallee School that comes here regularly. We have a small house next to the community hall. This is open to people who are looking for a room.
We often talk about the lack of meeting places in Neustadt, and there is one here!
Yes, I am often told that people perceive the terrain like a little oasis. I feel the same way. We introduced the ‘Open Church’ and I often see people coming in here to get down. That’s really nice.
However, it takes some courage to cross the threshold and enter the site..
That’s why it’s good if the children get to know the place early. We have childeren from the kindergarten and from the schools here in the neighborhood that gathering at the church.
Are you in contact with other communities?
Yes, we have many cooperations with other congregations who do their services and events here. There is also a good relationship with the Islamic cultural center. They come here, we go, we pray and do events together. In faith in God we have a common basis. Certain things are derived from this: that you honor the holiday or that the family has a certain importance, although we certainly define family in a completely different way. But the people from the mosque have the interest in looking for the similarities, we have the desire to put the differences to the bottom of the tooth. We have a lot in common with the people from the IKC: they have studied, are very committed to their job – often in the social field – and travel a lot. The differences are sometimes smaller than some Christian currents such as the evangelical community.
Do you also deliberately leave the community center?
Yes! For example, we initiated the ‘Langer Tisch’ format together with other actors. We set up tables in various WKS, i.e. in the residential complexes. It is an open encounter format with food and drink. This goes beyond our community life and was created in response to the local elections in the summer of 2024. The idea was to get people talking to each other and create a space where people can say what bothers them. We want to create a place where people realize they can talk to each other.
What role does church play as a place?
Church is important as a place of spirituality where prayers have been made for centuries. We noticed that very much during the Corona pandemic. That didn’t really transfer. There is a lot going on here on the site, it is an interactive place.
You have been in Neustadt for almost two years now, where many of the older residents look nostalgically at the early days. How do you perceive that?
This city started with an insanely big promise. That could only go wrong[lacht]. This city is extremely personal because the people helped build it – they were part of the story that Neustadt is the future. It is very difficult for people to interpret their lives against the background of turning experiences. In terms of feeling, it should always get better and that didn’t happen. How do you interpret this situation? Many felt it was a failure.
Added to this is the bad reputation of Neustadt…
Yes, we often have conversations with people who say how sad it is that Neustadt is perceived so negatively from the outside and who have a great interest in improving Neustadt’s image. But there is also the feeling that things take a very long time. For example, the Taubenbrunnen is an important landmark for Halle-Neustadt. It was dismantled for nine years! That’s absurd. It’s hard to maintain the feeling that you and the place where you live are valuable.
But I have the feeling that there is a spirit of optimism and that young people infect the old people. To do this, you have to build bridges and introduce the older ones a bit. For them it is strange to drink tea and eat falafel in an Arabian restaurant. This is also a question of identity. There are hardly any restaurants where you can eat home cooking and a meatball. It makes the older people sad that there is no longer their emotional food, but that of the newcomers. I would like it to be a little more mixed.
What is your feeling for the future?
I think Neustadt can play a pioneering role again. I often think you could try out in Neustadt and live how living together can look like under these difficult starting conditions. That would be a positive self-image and a great motivation. It could be a good time to start and deepen these things now. It is important to me. We’ll be moving to this house soon. I’m happy that my children can grow up in Neustadt, I think it’s a nice place to live. I’m a Neustadt fan and not the only one!
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The results of the research by Anna-Lena Wenzel on communication channels in Halle-Neustadt will be published online in August in the Südpark-Magazine: