For Angela and, above all, for Jürgen Kaschuba, the former sexton’s house in Vatterode was love at first sight. A vision that, looking past its external and internal flaws, reached far into the future. For what today stands as a lovingly renovated sandstone house, nestled idyllically on the hillside right next to St. Boniface Church, was put up for sale in 2006 for one euro. Consequently, Angela Kaschuba’s enthusiasm was initially lukewarm, as she—being the handyman of the family—immediately recognized the mountain of work that lay ahead of them.
Why the two Thuringians nevertheless decided to start all over again, and why this decision turned out to be an absolute stroke of luck—not only for them but also for Vatterode—is what we’ll discuss in this episode.
First, however, we’ll take a look back at two life paths that crossed in the GDR and trace their shared history, which is peppered with numerous twists and turns, insights, and anecdotes.
In the process, we learn, among other things, that both spouses possess an irrepressible drive for personal growth and self-realization, which, to this day, compels them to seize every opportunity that comes their way and overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
No wonder, then, that the collapse of an entire social system sparked a great deal of enthusiasm and a sense of optimism in Jürgen and Angela Kaschuba.
And so we talk about the initial euphoria and economic successes in the period after 1989, when both became self-employed, but also quite quickly began to feel the downsides of the new economic order.
The subsequent search for social values within the market economy, for meaning and perspective, ultimately led the Kaschubas to work for Lohnsteuerhilfe. A profession that became a calling and not only fulfilled their need to do something for the common good, but also created a network that would subsequently prove very useful. Not least during the renovation of the sexton’s house in Vatterode.
But why would anyone move from beautiful Thuringia to the Mansfeld region in the first place? What makes life in this former mining region so worth living? How can one integrate into village life? And what does chess have to do with it?
The answers to these questions reveal the couple’s great optimism, their appreciation for beauty, their drive, and their social commitment, which are evident in various activities and events.
As members of the Friends of the Church association, they played a key role in the preservation and restoration of St. Boniface Church, where services, exhibitions, and concerts are once again held regularly. They also created the “Kunstscheune”—a space for creativity and exchange—where visitors can now borrow books or simply stop by for a chat.