Usually the Baltic Sea does not make waves. Along the four kilometers of snow-covered beach that forms the coastline of Lubmin in north-eastern Germany, nothing suggests the presence of the famous Nord Stream gas pipelines.
However, from this town of 2,100 inhabitants, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in the former GDR, the underwater infrastructures that connect Saint Petersburg, in Russia, to the European continent have been supplying cheap gas to all of Germany. In September 2022, a mysterious explosion damaged these facilities and buried this partnership, already challenged by the invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Since then, in this region, the price of gas has almost tripled.
Since the beginning of the war, Lubmin has been famous all over the world. “Even Joe Biden, the President of the United States, is aware of our existence,” said a resident.
In the windswept village, at the entrance to the Hotel Seebrücke, Lubmin’s only establishment, Heidrun Moritz, the 74-year-old owner, poses the question most locals ask themselves: “Why not just reopen Nord Stream? » In a flowered apron, her eyes riveted on the sea, she worries about winter. The temperatures, already negative on December 14, should continue to drop and she does not know how long she will be able to heat her twelve rooms, which she has rented continuously since 1983.
At the restaurant, because of rising prices, fewer and fewer customers come to share a sundae of ice cream or a dish of fish, against the backdrop of Christmas music. Next to the one-storey building, the construction of an extension with about ten rooms “has been dragging on for several years”, sighs this graduate in biology who learned Russian at school. At the counter decorated with dozens of owls of all sizes, Heidrun Moritz, resigned, declares: “In Lubmin, we are all victims of geopolitics. »
“Energy Capital”
Lubmin has become the symbol of Germany’s energy dependence on Russia. Thanks to the presence of the company Nord Stream AG, the municipality was able to collect between 1.5 million and 2 million euros in local taxes per year and the nickname of “capital of energy” from the country.
Today, in its peaceful and well-maintained streets, the media are no longer welcome. “Many people are bored and tired of the constant questions about energy and Nord Stream,” writes by mail Axel Vogt, the mayor of Lubmin, who refused to receive us. The elected official, without political label, responsible for the exploitation of the port of the commune and great support of the local energy policy, adds that the villagers would especially like to find “peace and tranquility”.
You have 81.08% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.