Railway stations as places of memory: Start 13 projects for Nazi processing!

Railway stations as places of memory: Start 13 projects for Nazi processing!

In the shadow of the tracks, dark chapters of history are reminded. A new funding project attracts attention to the scars that National Socialism has left at German train stations. The program launched by the Federal Ministry of Culture is entitled "Memorails: Halt! Here is reminded of Nazi history" and supports a total of 13 local initiatives that deal with the history of victims and perpetrators. Among the funded projects are also projects in Cologne-Deutz and at the Göttingen train station, such as Deutschlandfunk Kultur

Minister of Culture Wolfram Weimer has highlighted the importance of the culture of remembrance, which has undergone an important change in recent decades. "Today, dealing with one's own history is an integral part of our state rates," he emphasized, pointing out the civil society commitment that is necessary for these projects. "Memorails" is not only a financial, but also a cultural commitment to historical processing. The Federal Government provides one million euros for this, while the Foundation contributes an additional 100,000 euros, such as the Culture Port supplemented.

diverse initiatives for processing

These 13 projects were selected from a variety of applications and have the clear goal of shed light on long-term unknown aspects of Nazi history. The project providers are diverse and range from historical associations to memorials to city administrations. The focus is particularly on the stations as historical places of persecution, which are often only perceived as trancing facilities, while in reality they were also locations of deportations and forced labor.

• Remembrance Bahnhof Trebnitz- Trebnitz Castle Education and Encounter Center e. V.
• Jugend Museum: Young people explore the story in the park on the Gleisdreieck
• Volkshochschule Meppen: Make traces of the neighbors visible
• City administration Meiningen: Searching for traces to forced labor
• Human Rights Center Cottbus e.V.: Deportations and forced labor under National Socialism

The project launches begin at the beginning of September and promise to remind of the individual fates of those affected in various forms. For example, the project "A train station without a memory" of the German Theater in Göttingen will make the stories of the persecuted visible. In addition, the Neumünster music school is planning a project series that deals with the arrival of people during the Nazi era.

memory culture in change

The examination of the Nazi past was a sensitive topic in Germany for a long time. The action was often displaced and not discussed. It was not until the student movement of the 1960s broke this silence and demanded that the crimes of the past work up. As the EVZ reports, the German culture of remembrance has developed greatly since then and is now a significant part of the social discourse. Schools, documentaries and memorials contribute to the characteristics of the collective memory, and a constant reflection on the events of National Socialism is sought. This is intended to help anchor memory in an increasingly various society.

The upcoming projects under "Memorails" are more than just a financial support offer; You are a call to society to actively deal with your own history and not to be forgotten the teachings of the past. In Cologne and beyond, there is an exciting and important task ahead of us: to keep the memory alive and to keep in mind for future generations.