Dramatic family history: lies and secrets in Eisenstein!

Dramatic family history: lies and secrets in Eisenstein!

On July 4, 2025 the time has come: Christoph Nußbaumeder's gripping play “Eisenstein” will be performed in the upper foyer of the Heilbronn Theater. The event starts at 7:00 p.m. and tickets are available by calling 07131 563001, by email at kasse@theater-hn.de and online on the website www.theater-heilbronn.de. After the performance, StreitBar invites you to exchange ideas and discuss things.

The plot of “Eisenstein” takes place over a period of more than sixty years, from April 1945 to 2008. Protagonist Erna Schatzschneider pleads from Bohemia before the advancing Red Army and has the goal of getting to her uncle in Eisenstein, Bavaria, where the Hufnagel family lives. The dramatic narrative unfolds against a backdrop of lies and secrets that connect the characters across generations.

Erna's tragic story

Shaped by her tragic past, Erna reveals to the Hufnagels that her fiancé died in the Russian Winter War. In reality, her fiancé has been killed, and on her journey she meets an escaped concentration camp prisoner whose child she is expecting. Josef Hufnagel, the landowner, gives her shelter and believes the child is his. But this agreement is subject to the condition that Erna keeps quiet about her true paternity.

Erna later explains the lie to Josef, but by then it is already too late. Her story weaves complex bonds between characters and illuminates the difficulties that come with rebuilding life and identity after war.

Family secrets and their consequences

The associated themes of obscuring and redefining biographies are omnipresent after the Second World War. Georg, Erna's son, unknowingly falls in love with Gerlinde, Josef's daughter, causing the lies of the past to take on more explosive consequences. Years later, Georg finally marries Gerlinde's younger sister Heidi. This tragic love triangle reflects the entangled family relationships that result from Erna's deception.

“Eisenstein” first premiered in Bochum in 2010 and has since reached many stages. The story is based on Nußbaumeder's award-winning novel “Die Unverhofften”, which was published by Suhrkamp in 2020. The piece not only focuses on personal fates, but also takes a critical look at post-war society and how it deals with the past and identity.

With the performance of “Eisenstein”, the Heilbronn Theater presents a gripping and thought-provoking reflection on the subject of lies and family entanglements, which will not only entertain the audience but also make them think.