Theater project sheds light on the legacy of Simson in Suhl

In the coming months, a theater project in Suhl will be dedicated to the history of the traditional Simson brand and its significance for East German lives. Under the title "Freiheit: Simson" (Freedom: Simson), citizens and artists will bring memories, ruptures and contemporary interpretations of the famous moped to the stage, according to the theater and film collective "Künstlerische Intelligenz".

Participatory project with planned premiere

"The Simson is not a monument, but part of lived experience," said director and initiator Janek Liebetruth. He was particularly interested in what this heritage means today and how we can talk about it together.

The production is based on historical research, interviews and workshops. Participants include former employees of the Suhl plant, screwdrivers, young people, witnesses of the reunification period, people who have moved away and returnees. The premiere is planned for fall 2026 on the former factory site.

Projection screen for different generations

The writer and journalist Aron Boks describes the cult moped as a multi-layered projection screen. "The Simson is a symbol of identification for a younger generation in the East, a projection screen for older people for a distant past, while at the same time it is used by right-wing extremists for the culture war."

The starting point of the project is the eventful history of the Suhl-based company - starting with the Jewish entrepreneurial family Simson, through expropriation and exile during the Nazi era and GDR industrial production, to the symbolic charge of the brand today.

Mark recently also the subject of political debate

The Simson was recently also the subject of a political debate throughout Germany. Descendants of the founding family had criticized the use of the name by the AfD and described it as an "insult"; the Thuringian AfD leader Björn Höcke rejected the accusations.

Suhl's Lord Mayor André Knapp (CDU) supports the theater project. "The history of Simson is an important part of our city's history. It stands for industrial expertise, but also for ruptures and new beginnings," he explained.

The project is to be funded in several phases by the Federal Agency for Civic Education, the Federal Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship, the Performing Arts Fund and the Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Thuringia, among others.