Eastern Germany 25 Years Since German Reunification

NEUPETERSHAIN, GERMANY - JULY 16: In this aerial view a machine called a spreader dumps earth transported on a conveyor from an active section of the mine at the edge of the Welzow Sued open-pit lignite coal mine next to a field of grain on July 16, 2015 near Neupetershain, Germany. The Welzow Sued mine feeds the Schwarze Pumpe power station and is owned by Vattenfall, the Swedish energy company that is currently trying to sell its German coal mines. Before the communist government of East Germany collapsed in 1989 open-pit coal mines were a vital source of employment in the region and their decline has pulled the local economy down with them. 25 years since German reunification eastern Germany is struggling with a low birth rate, rural emigration and unemployment rates higher than in western Germany. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)