Giessen opens an important memorial site for refugee history

Giessen opens an important memorial site for refugee history

History is being experienced anew in Gießen: last night, a former emergency room was transformed into a lively place of learning and remembrance, which is being celebrated as one of the largest cultural projects in Hesse. This new facility, which is now open to the public, not only offers insights into the history of immigration, but also a place for reflection on escape and arrival.

What makes this project so special? After the Wall was built, Gießen was the only camp of its kind outside West Berlin and housed around 900,000 people who flowed into the Federal Republic between 1950 and 1990. Former Federal President Joachim Gauck and the former Prime Minister of Hesse Volker Bouffier (CDU) were among the guests at the opening ceremony and emphasized the importance of introducing younger generations to the background of refugees and the commitment to democracy. Gauck emphasized how important it is to make the reasons for fleeing understandable and to hear the voices of those affected.

A look at the past

The new permanent exhibition is part of this educational project and includes more than 50 video screens with contemporary witness reports that illuminate the personal stories of the former refugees. Some only stayed overnight, while others spent several months in the camp. An artistically designed Trabi decorated with motifs from East-West history leaves a lasting impression on visitors. This digital processing of history also reflects current social discussions, which are expressed in institutions such as the Marienfelde Memorial, where West German society's approach to immigration is examined. It is also discussed there how support can be offered to immigrants and what expectations they had of their new home.

The perspective of immigrants and refugees is a central issue in society. Questions arise again and again about eligibility to enter the country and social participation. In this context, the oral history archive, which includes interviews with migrants and refugees from 1945 to 2016, is a valuable project that integrates the perspectives of these groups of people into German history. The stories collected, presented not only on video but also in the form of educational materials, provide a comprehensive insight into the experiences and challenges that immigrants endured.

A place for encounters and dialogue

The Giessen project is an excellent example of how a space for dialogue and education can be created through modern processing of history. It invites you to get to know your own history and reflect on what escape means today. It is not only a place to understand the past, but also an opportunity to reflect on how we as a society deal with the challenge of migration.

The place of learning and remembrance in Giessen will hopefully attract many visitors and help ensure that the topics of flight and migration find a permanent place in our cultural consciousness. Anyone who would like to learn more about the moving stories of the refugees is warmly invited to visit the exhibition and become part of this important exchange of ideas.

Further information on the topics of flight, migration and social integration can also be found at Hessenschau, Berliner Mauer Foundation, and BPB.