Heimat

Spanning 1919 to 1982, in the fictional village of Schabbach, live Maria Simon and her family, whose lives and community are changed by historical events around them.

Heimat chronicles three generations of the Simon family in Schabbach, a fictional village in Germany's Hunsrück hills, tracing their lives from the end of the First World War into the early 1980s. Through the perspective of Anton Simon and his children, the series follows ordinary people as they navigate hardship, ambition, love, and loss while history rolls through their small community. Its emotional register is warm yet melancholic, rooted in the textures of rural routine, village gossip, seasonal labor, and the slow drift of modernity. Reitz builds the story out of intimate, unhurried episodes in which war, political upheaval, economic change, and emigration arrive as quiet disruptions rather than spectacle. Characters are flawed and sympathetic, and the series examines what home means when it can be left, lost, or reshaped by forces beyond anyone's control. Shot largely in black and white with long, patient takes, the chronicle lingers on faces, landscapes, and daily rituals, producing a nostalgic yet clear-eyed meditation on memory, belonging, and the cost of change. Its final tone is bittersweet, honoring the endurance of a community that persists even as its world disappears.

Widely regarded as a landmark of German television, praised for its epic scope, authentic depiction of rural life, and nuanced ensemble performances, though its length and deliberate pacing divide some viewers.

• Roots (1977)multigenerational family saga following a community through major historical upheaval
• Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980)intimate, character-driven German chronicle of ordinary lives under political change
• Downton Abbeysprawling period drama tracing a family across decades of social and political change

Created by

Edgar Reitz

Release Date

1984-09-16

Episode runtime

90 min

Rating

8.7 / 10 (42)

What is Heimat about?

Across three generations of the Simon family in a small German village, Heimat follows ordinary lives shaped by war, upheaval, and the slow erosion of home.

What is Heimat like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Heimat as slow, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.

Is Heimat violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Heimat as mild.

What did critics think of Heimat?

Widely regarded as a landmark of German television, praised for its epic scope, authentic depiction of rural life, and nuanced ensemble performances, though its length and deliberate pacing divide some viewers.

Which shows are like Heimat?

Shows with a similar feel include Roots (1977), Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980), and Downton Abbey.

How long is Heimat?

Heimat: 1 season, 11 episodes.

Is Heimat still running?

No, Heimat has ended.