Articles by or about Ulrike Nagel

30 January 202530 July 2026

Article by Ulrike Nagel for the Germany Institute: Discussion on TV Debates

In the run-up to the early German elections, a debate arose over the format of the televised debates. Public broadcaster ZDF initially planned two separate head-to-head debates: one between Scholz and Merz, and one between Weidel and Habeck. The latter met with resistance from Habeck, who advocated for a broader debate format.

Under pressure from political parties and public debate, several broadcasters adjusted their plans. The commercial network RTL expanded its debate to include four candidates. Merz indicated that he actually welcomed a direct confrontation with Weidel, while the CDU warned that larger panels would come at the expense of substantive depth.

🔗 https://duitslandinstituut.nl/artikel/62050/discussie-over-tv-debatten

One arena. Two people facing each other. Ready to begin a fight, swords at the ready. A real duel!

1 November 202423 June 2026

Article in the VPRO Guide about the podcast series "Over de muur"

Journalist Ulrike Nagel, who grew up in East Berlin and now lives in the Netherlands, explores in the six-part podcast series “Over de muur” what the GDR era still means to people who grew up there as children.

VPRO Magazine published an article about Nagel and her podcast series, which can be read on the VPRO Guide website.

20 October 202030 July 2026

Article about Ulrike Nagel in “Flair”

November 9, 2020, marks exactly 31 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Ulrike (41) lives in East Berlin with her Dutch boyfriend Jos and their three children, and she grew up there. “It was bizarre back then: overnight, the supermarket was suddenly stocked with all kinds of new products.”

Read the full article by clicking the download button (PDF; 1.2 MB)

22 July 201623 September 2026

Germany or the Netherlands: Which is a better place to give birth?

In collaboration with Duitslandnieuws.nl

Recently, the debate surrounding pregnancy and childbirth has once again erupted in the Netherlands. Are we in the Netherlands a model for other countries, or is the situation better in Germany, for example? Journalist Ulrike Nagel has now experienced pregnancy in both countries. According to her, we can learn from each other. She is of German descent but lived and worked in the Netherlands for many years, where she had two children. She has now been living in Berlin for four years and has since become a mother of three. She is now well-positioned to compare the healthcare and cultural aspects of pregnancy in both countries. Which do you prefer?

19 November 201430 July 2026

My story about the Wall on Berlijnblog.nl

I was 10 when the Wall came down. I moved to Berlin in 1984, when I was 5. I was born on the Baltic Sea, in Greifswald, where my parents were studying. At the time, many East Germans from all over the country were moving to the capital of the GDR; my mother was from the north, my father from the south. Berlin was already the place to be back then if you wanted a good job, so we moved into a two-room apartment with a coal stove.

12 September 20032 August 2026

German Questions Without Dutch Answers

I’ve been living in the Netherlands for five years now. Recently, I traded my studies in the north for a job in the west—a common occurrence for many Dutch graduates and a well-known phenomenon in Germany. But I’m a German living in the Netherlands.

Guest column for the Germany Institute by Ulrike Nagel