Deep Read: Der Ministerpräsident, die Milliarden-Fabrik und die AfD: Wie Sachsen-Anhalt ins Chip-Dilemma geriet

Lützen, Magdeburg, and Sülzetal – a British term for a place at the southwest tip of their island where land suddenly ends, with towering cliffs plunging into the Atlantic. Sachsen-Anhalt may not have a coastline, but it has its own version of a land’s end. Near Magdeburg’s western city limits, several branches diverge from the main road, some two-lane, others four-lane.

Signs direct the way, yet no path leads far. After a few hundred meters, they all abruptly end in fields, bushes, or amidst a cornfield. Jörg Methner, a 67-year-old and the local mayor, explains how this came to be when he takes a turn onto a road marked “Zufahrt 1.” The 1100-hectare area lies to the left of Magdeburg’s city limits and to the right of Sülzetal, a community of eight villages and 9,000 inhabitants.

Methner has been the mayor for years and recalls the “big shock” day that transformed the area into the bizarre place it is today. Intel, a US company, wanted to build a microchip factory on the land, costing 33 billion euros – the largest investment in post-war Germany. However, Intel faced economic troubles, and the plan was abandoned about a year ago.

Today, the former site, known as Eulenberg, remains a mystery. The ruling CDU in Sachsen-Anhalt would like to support the establishment of other tech firms, hoping for state aid. However, the party faces opposition from within the federal government due to the state’s tight budget. Sachsen-Anhalt finds itself in a chip dilemma just before a crucial state election.