Back to the roots

»True Hamburg residents come from Barmbek«: with these local patriotic words, Schmidt’s advertising spot for the 1957 Bundestag election begins. The couple are drawn back here in 1952 when they can finally again afford their own accommodation, after years of more modest housing. The apartment, rented out by the trade union organization »Neue Heimat«, appeals particularly to Loki. There are many nearby green spaces and daughter Susanne has enough room to play. When Schmidt’s political career begins in the Bundestag in Bonn one year later, Barmbek offers an advantage as a location: As he grew up in the neighbourhood known as a »workers’ district«, the Social Democrat hopes that he will be particularly well placed to win votes there.