Germany’s longest-running soap opera ‘Lindenstrasse’ ends after three decades on air
The long-running German series “Lindenstrasse” had its last episode on Sunday, in a farewell that was already scheduled but still represented the end of an era for the iconic show.
“Lindenstrasse” premiered on December 8, 1985 and ran continuously every week since then. Showing on Sundays, the series only took pauses for holidays and in the event of general elections, which take place on Sundays in Germany.
The once widely-watched series was carried by German public broadcaster ARD, but due to declining viewership and cost issues, the network decided in 2018 to bring it all to a close.
Created by Hans W. Geißendörfer and later continued by his daughter Hana Geißendörfer, the series follows the life of the inhabitants along a fictional street called Lindenstrasse, in the city of Munich.
The show made history by becoming the first German TV show to feature a kiss between a gay couple
In real life, the show was set and produced in the city of Cologne. In its early years, the stories portrayed in “Lindenstrasse” generally broke societal taboos. It featured the first kiss between a gay couple shown on German television.
Sunday’s last episode was the show’s 1,758th and it was titled “Auf Wiedersehen” (Goodbye).
It concluded with one of the main characters, Helga “Mother” Beimer, strolling through the Lindenstrasse and gazing at the houses and walking into the series’ favorite pub, the Greek restaurant Acropolis, where the residents celebrate her 80th birthday.
The show has already been memorialized in various museums in Germany. Upon its conclusion, two pieces of the show’s set — Helga Beimer’s kitchen and the Lindenstrasse bus stop are set to be donated to Germany’s House of History Museum in Bonn.
jcg/rs (AFP, dpa)
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-s-longest-running-soap-opera-lindenstrasse-ends-after-three-decades-on-air/a-52951212?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf