The Körmann family's new home is on Bischheimer Hauptstraße. The entrance and the windows are decorated for Christmas. Little reminds of a turbulent move. The large kitchen with the low wooden ceiling and the deep window reveals a certain nostalgia. Silke Körmann has put a plate of homemade cookies on the table, next to them are lovingly packaged, chocolate delicacies from their own production. The 34-year-old trained confectioner is an open personality with a bright smile. Daughter Anna is one and a half years old. The cute curly haid plays with the house cat on the warm floorboard .
Silke Körmann knows the house where the Körmanns live now from her childhood. Her grandmother lived in the old farmhouse until her death. Then it was renovated by Silke's brother. The parents live in the adjacent building. The brother decided to build his own home in Lichtenberg 12 years ago. Since then the house has been empty.
It was already clear to Silke Körmann that she wanted to come back when she left Saxony for Baden-Württemberg after graduating from school in 1999. In Badenweiler she started an apprenticeship as a confectioner. Almost finished with her apprenticeship and ready to return, she met her current husband Christian. Christian comes from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and learned to be a retail salesman in the "West". Because of love she stayed in the distance. Silke Körmann switched to the hotel business, Christian meanwhile to the navy. He went to sea for five years as part of military service. In 2010 they married in their home country, in the baroque castle of Oberuellenau. Her everyday life was characterized by a lot of work. A child was planned, but the famous, right time had not yet come. It never really wanted to fit.
The rethinking began with Christian's brother's accidental death in 2014. He left behind a wife and two small children. "At this point you ask yourself what are you actually working for?”, says Silke Körmann. “We realized that the right time for a child is not coming anyway. So we decided to have a baby right now.” Anna was born in September 2015.
The desire to come back became clearer. At Christmas 2015, the option was discussed with Silke's parents. They were happy to have the young family and especially the grandchild back with them soon. The old brother's apartment was available as living space. The family planned to return one to two years from the time of the decision to the final move. But everything turned out differently.
The final decision was made in April 2016. Silke's mother showed her a newspaper article from the project “Wachstumsregion of Dresden”. Silke and Christian contacted the project team and submitted their application documents. The project team made contact with the employment agency. “The advice there was excellent. We received great support”, says Silke Körmann. “Since I had success with an unsolicited application and already had a job confirmation from Sternenbäck Kamenz, everything went faster than planned.” Christian had to quit his job in order to move with his family. It now had to be clarified whether he would get a financial bridging until he got a new job. The employment agency helped and the financial worries were over.
During the summer vacation, the apartment was renovated within three weeks. Silke's brother had done a good job, the building had been empty for 12 years. At the same time, Anna was accustomed to the “Hazel Mice” daycare center. “We only felt on the road between here and there”, Silke recalls. The move itself in September 2016 was peppered with "unfortunate circumstances". First there was water damage in the old apartment that had to be remedied. The transporter of the team of helpers failed on the planned move day and then the car of the Körmanns also gave up. And don't forget, there was always a one-year-old baby. “You start to believe in evil spirits”, Körmann says. “It feels like it shouldn't be.” A Berlin moving company then saved the move and chauffeured all of the corporeal belongings into the Haselbach valley. Christian has been working as a warehouse clerk in Radeberg since November 1st. “Now we're arriving slowly”, he says. If they had to give the reasons for the return, they would mention the proximity to the family, but also the good facilities with daycare centers and schools. They both found work quickly and soon felt a home.
Interview and text: Kristina Kroemke