Katja Hoyer

It's here! An actually existing copy of BEYOND THE WALL: EAST GERMANY, 1949-1990!! It looks and feels incredible 😁📚 Out 06 April @PenguinUKBooks @AllenLaneBooks

The AfD wants to break its isolation by creating US-style polarisation in Germany. The idea is to destroy the ruling coalition and pull the conservatives on its side of the divide. Can the notoriously divided party pull it off? My analysis @Bloomberg 👇 bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…

Writing nonfiction that's as gripping as a novel isn't easy, but authors should never yield to the temptation to embellish the truth, whether it's for narrative flow or to make themselves look better. ZEITGEIST on The Salt Path controversy 👇 katjahoyer.uk/p/the-salt-pat…

Expensive imports, more gas plants, more coal, more subsidies... Germany is doing a lot to stabilise the energy supply of its ailing economy - anything but admit that exiting from nuclear power was a mistake that can and should be reversed. Me @Bloomberg👇 bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…

If you're not afraid to be seen poolside with an awkward title in your hand, I have some gripping summer book suggestions for you... who says German history isn't beach reading? Hoyer Holiday Reads in ZEITGEIST 👇 katjahoyer.uk/p/hoyer-holida…

Merz and Macron met in Berlin last night. There appears to be genuine warmth between the two men. But the “Merzcron” bromance can’t detract from the divergence of national interests in crucial areas like energy and defence. My brief analysis @unherd 👇 unherd.com/newsroom/macro…

Recorded something on military conscription for German radio this morning from the BBC Studio in Norwich. Got into the zone with a sunny breakfast in front of one of the city's many wonderful churches. I can think of worse ways to start the working day 😎

The dynamics of leftwing terrorism in the 70s remain hugely relevant. Then, radical activists decided violence was necessary to achieve change. Parts of the mainstream cheered them on, from campuses and in politics. Seems familiar, I write in Semafor 👇 semafor.com/article/07/19/…

Credit where credit is due: today's UK-Germany treaty is a milestone in 🇬🇧-🇩🇪 relations post-Brexit, but also in centrists acknowledging that immigration is one of the big issues for voters on both sides of the North Sea. My short analysis @unherd 👇 unherd.com/newsroom/uk-an…

Friedrich Merz is visiting the UK today. Leaders will sign a friendship treaty, the first of its kind post-WWII. It's a chance to close ranks, and the chancellor himself has a big role to play 🇬🇧🇩🇪 How Anglophile is Friedrich Merz? I ask in ZEITGEIST 👇 katjahoyer.uk/p/how-anglophi…

Germany is planning big industry subsidies. That money would be better spent tackling their problem: high energy costs caused by successive governments deciding that the 3rd largest economy can run on renewables, imports and good intentions. Me @unherd 👇 unherd.com/newsroom/germa…

The crucial point about Rachel Reeves crying in parliament isn't that she's a woman, but that's she's a politician. Merkel's tears affected the Eurozone crisis. Bismarck's tantrums may have changed the course of history. ZEITGEIST on political tears 👇 katjahoyer.uk/p/merkels-tear…

Forget about schadenfreude, angst and poltergeist. The German loan word the English language really needs is 'Feierabend', that moment when work is done and leisure begins. In the name of intercultural exchange, I'm merging this with local traditions 😁🇬🇧🇩🇪 Happy Feierabend! 🍻

The Wall has been down longer than it was up, yet Berlin remains marked by division. It's got at least two of everything: TV Towers, zoos, universities, operas...Will it always be defined by the 20th century? ZEITGEIST asks: Berlin, why are you like this? katjahoyer.uk/p/berlin-why-a…

The town of Weimar gave name to an interwar tragedy. What happened there between the two world wars has occupied my mind for the last three years. The result is a book called WEIMAR, which will be out in Spring 2026. I have just submitted my manuscript! 📚📚📚

This weekend ranks high on my list of coolest ways of doing history. Making a documentary with a French Canadian film crew from a chartered boat in Berlin takes some beating 😎