A country with its own military, its own currency and flag, but a country which doesn’t officially exist. Transnistria is a country not recognized by any other state in the world. It was formed when the Soviet Union collapsed and the Russian-speaking part in the east of Moldova was concerned about their rights. In 1992 the conflict escalated and war developed between Moldovan troops and the Russian army. Since then the conflict has been frozen, but is far from being resolved. 

Transnistria, caught between memories of communism and an uncertain future, is a country in search of its identity. The economic situation for the about half a million inhabitants is difficult; especially the well-educated young people have few prospects in the area and emigrate, mainly to Russia. 

In his photo-essay, Maximilian deals with the everyday life of the people, their hopes and wishes in a region almost forgotten by the rest of Europe. In this way he also wants to give the viewer a differentiated picture of an area that is often delineated as the "last museum of communism".