Ernst Thälmann Island

Ernst Thälmann Island or Ernst Thälmann Cay ( or ; or ) is a long and wide island in the Gulf of Cazones. In the 1970s, Cuba promised to donate an island in its archipelago to East Germany, and subsequently renamed what was then known as Cayo Blanco del Sur after German communist Ernst Thälmann. Because the island was not mentioned in later documents incorporating East Germany into reunified Germany, various parties have argued that it remains a territory of the defunct nation, but Cuba has rejected this argument and claims jurisdiction over it.

History

During a 1970s state visit to East Germany, Cuban prime minister Fidel Castro promised that his country would donate an island to its communist ally. As part of a state visit in June 1972 by East-German general secretary Erich Honecker, Castro renamed () in honour of German communist politician and activist Ernst Thälmann. According to an article in , he also announced that one of its beaches had been renamed to (, ). East Germany's state television newscast ' reported on the ceremony and the unveiling of a bust of Thälmann in August 1972 in the presence of the East-German ambassador, East-German delegates, and Cuban representatives.

In March 1975, the East-German government sent singer Frank Schöbel to Cuba to make music videos. Film footage of the island was also shot, which was later included in a documentary emphasizing the island as a symbol of East-German–Cuban friendship.

In 1990, a series of international events led the government of East Germany to dissolve, with its territory added the federal republic of West Germany, incorporating as unified Germany. However, the reunification treaty made no reference to Ernst Thälmann Island as one of the territories joining the combined nation, leading to arguments about its status. Neither of the German states controlled the island during or after the reunification.

In 1998, the island was severely hit by Hurricane Mitch, knocking over the bust of Thälmann.

A German online newspaper sought to visit the island in 2001, on the premise that it was German territory, but they were rebuffed. According to the Cuban embassy in Germany the renaming had been a "symbolic act", and the German Foreign Office concurred that it was "not a gift, but a change of name", and the island was never actually transferred from Cuba.

In media

The film ' (2022), starring Max Riemelt, tells the story of an East Berliner who travels to Cuba to fulfill his late mother's wish to scatter her ashes on the Cayo Ernesto Thälmann.

See also

* Canarreos Archipelago, near the island

References

External links

* ''Spiegel Online'':
Ernst-Thälmann-Insel – DDR unter Palmen

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ernst Thalmann Island
Islands of Cuba
Geography of Matanzas Province
1972 in politics
1972 in international relations
Cuba–East Germany relations
Uninhabited islands