Lindenstrasse: A piece of television history dies in serial death

On Sunday at 6:50 p.m. the time has come: A wild string start announces the very last episode of "Lindenstrasse". The mother of all German soap operas ends with the episode 1,758 after almost 35 years. Despite the massive criticism that followed the first "Lindenstrasse" episode on December 8, 1985, the series was a firm fixture on German television.

Inventor Hans W. Geißendörfer (78) produced an escalating mix of daily conflicts and dramas about AIDS, euthanasia, alcohol and drug addiction, nuclear power, illness, xenophobia, right-wing radicalism, sects, mafia and much more. Even if the initially huge audience of over ten million viewers has continued to decrease in recent years, hardly any series can boast such a loyal fan base as "Lindenstrasse". "I just love this shit. I grew up with it," is just one of many statements from the audience.

The real linden street

Geißendörfer's role model was an apartment building in the Franconian town of Neustadt an der Aisch, where he spent his childhood. The series is named after the real existing Lindenstrasse in Ummendorf (near Biberach) in Upper Swabia. Screenwriter Barbara Piazza herself lived on Lindenstrasse for several years. Geißendörfer was also inspired by the British success soap "Coronation Street".

The German "Lindenstrasse" played until recently in Munich, but was filmed in the WDR studios in Cologne-Bocklemünd, where a 150-meter-long facade dummy with a café, bar, supermarket, doctor's office, hairdressing salon and restaurant "Akropolis" was built for the outside scenery has been. The last day of shooting of the series was a few weeks ago, on December 20, 2019 the last stone fell.

Right from the start

The heart and soul of the format was until recently Marie-Luise Marjan (79) as mother Helga Beimer. She has been there since the start 34 years ago. Andrea Spatzek (60, Gabi Zenker), Moritz A. Sachs (41, Klaus Beimer) and Hermes Hodolides (56, Vasily Sarikakis) also participated from start to finish. Since episode two, Sybille Waury (49, Tanja Schildknecht born Dressler) has been part of the cast, Amorn Surangkanjanajai (66, Gung Pham Kien) since episode four.

Ludwig Haas (86) died only a few episodes before the end in episode 1,744 of serial death, he played Dr. Ludwig Dressler. Joachim Hermann Luger (76) had to bless the timing in the 2018 series, he also belonged to the original cast as Hans Beimer.

From childhood on

Moritz A. Sachs aka Klausi was at the age of just seven years on the set of "Lindenstrasse" for the first time. "I spent 34 years of my life there, I can't even remember a time without 'Lindenstrasse', I was so young when I started there," he said in an interview with spot on news. But Sachs was far from the youngest.

Julia Stark (32) and Johannes Scheit (31) played the characters Sarah Ziegler and Tom Ziegler with interruptions since they were babies. Scheit made his first appearance in the series when he was seven months old, Julia Stark was selected at the casting when she was one year old. Sontje Peplow (38, Lisa Dagdelen) and Rebecca Siemoneit-Barum (42, Iffi Zenker) also played their roles since childhood.

Where Til Schweiger's career started

After his training at the school of theater in Cologne and an engagement at the Contra-Kreis-Theater in Bonn (1989) Til Schweiger (56, "honey in the head") was committed to the "Lindenstrasse" in 1990. For two years he played the role of Jo Zenker. After his first major cinema success with "Manta, Manta" (1991) Schweiger left "Lindenstrasse" in 1992, but his character remained present. She kept appearing in dialogues when it was said that "the Jo was in Hollywood". And Schweiger's later ex-wife Dana (52) starred in episodes 489 and 490 as Pat Wolfson.

However, the star of the drama is reluctant to think back to his time at "Lindenstrasse". "I was grateful that I had the role (…), but the role was of course absolutely stupid," he scolded in an interview with the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung". At that time he was even in the office of director Hans W. Geißendörfer and said: "I can comfort more than just my overweight sister." Geißendörfer would only have replied that "everyone has to earn their merits" on "Lindenstrasse". "I didn't feel like it and quit right away," said Schweiger. He did not like going to work these two years, and the books were also bad.

The dead of the "Lindenstrasse"

If a TV series lasts for almost 35 years, there is also natural loss. Some actors who played leading roles died in the course of the series. These included Annemarie Wendl, known as Else Kling, Herbert Steinmetz (Joschi Bennarsch), Johanna Bassermann (Philomena Bennarsch), Fritz Bachschmidt (Gottlieb Griese), Stefanie Mühle (Christina Barnsteg), Raimund Gensel (Franz Schildknecht), Tilli Breidenbach (Lydia Nolte), Ursula Ludwig (successor to Tilli Breidenbach as Lydia Nolte), Robert Zimmerling (Hubert Koch), Guido Gagliardi (Enrico Pavarotti), Inga Abel (Dr. Eva-Maria Sperling) and Ute Mora (Berta Griese).

On October 4, 2012, Wolfgang Frank, who had directed 132 "Lindenstraße" episodes from 2000, died unexpectedly, and on July 28, 2014 Philipp Brammer, who was seen as teacher Jan Künzel in 128 episodes, fell in the Bavarian Alps lethal. The Hamburg writer, actor and translator Harry Rowohlt died in June 2015. He portrayed Harry in the Penner series.

Murder and homicide

In "Lindenstrasse" there were over 60 deaths in 34 years. Most died of illness, some committed suicide, and some had to dramatically bless time. So the painter Franz Schildknecht (Raimund Gensel, 1940-2002) groped into the back yard completely drunk and collapsed there. He lay there undetected for a week and finally froze.

It got really bloody in episode 774 (October 1, 2000): Mary Kling (Liz Baffoe, 50) emasculated her unloved husband Olaf (Franz Rampelmann, 69) with poultry shears. In episode 750, Momo Sperling (Moritz Zielke, 46) stabbed his father Kurt (Michael Marwitz, 64), who had an affair with Momo's girlfriend Iffi. He died from the injuries. And in episode 507 (August 20, 1995) Lisa Hoffmeister killed the ex-priest Matthias Steinbrück (Manfred Schwabe, 59) with the frying pan. Then she put the dead man on the tracks with the help of Olli Klatt (Willi Herren, 44) and had him run over by a train. The crime was never solved. And there was also a victim in the penultimate episode: Wolf Lohmaier (Martin Müller-Reisinger, 51) fell to his construction site after a loud argument with girlfriend Anna Ziegler (Irene Fischer, 60).

The first gay kiss on TV

In episode 225 (March 25, 1990) Dr. Carsten Flöter (Georg Uecker, 57) and the fiesling Robert Engel (Martin Armknecht, 58) in front of the camera – the first gay kiss in a German series. A scandal! In an interview with spot on news, Georg Uecker recalled: "None of the participants suspected that this would cause such an outcry. I also thought that Germany would be further ahead." It was sometimes very scary, the actor was even under personal protection. "I received letters with wild insults and insults, that didn't leave me without a trace."

The final

The very last episode of the long-running favorite is eagerly awaited. Will all stories be resolved, will there be a cliffhanger? Rebecca Siemoneit-Barum promises a "touching end, I believe that many tears will flow." According to Moritz A. Sachs, the long-running favorite finds a worthy farewell: "But I would have wished that 'Lindenstrasse' had come to an end for an anniversary. Ideally not before the 100th birthday of the series." A wish that will unfortunately no longer be fulfilled.