The story of Heinrich Schliemann from Mecklenburg, who goes out into the world, acquires immeasurable wealth in California and Russia and then uses them to find the legendary ancient Troy in a previously unbelievable place – it has been inspiring for generations. It corresponds to capitalism’s promise of social advancement through hard work, Germany’s cultural fixation on Greece’s antiquity. It also fits in with the desire of the bourgeoisie, which can be seen in the success of Karl May’s adventure novels, to admire apparently more courageous bourgeoisie from the comfortable armchair. Even the GDR was enthusiastic about Schliemann – in 1980 they turned the house where he was born into a museum. If ZDF editor Frank Vorpahl now turns to the topic, that is almost a guarantee of success, especially since he promises to dissolve Schliemann’s “myth”.
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