Gießen opens significant memorial for refugee history

Gießen opens significant memorial for refugee history

In Gießen, history is experienced: Yesterday evening a former emergency shot warehouse was converted into a lively area of ​​learning and memory, which is celebrated as one of the greatest cultural projects in Hesse. This new facility, which is now accessible to the public, not only offers insights into the history of immigration, but also a place of reflection on flight and arrive.

What makes this project so special? After the construction of the wall, Gießen was the only camp of its kind outside of West Berlin and housed around 900,000 people between 1950 and 1990 who flocked to the Federal Republic. Ex-Federal President Joachim Gauck and the former Hessian Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (CDU) were among the guests of the opening ceremony and emphasized the importance of bringing the background of flight and commitment to democracy closer to the young generations. Gauck emphasized how important it was to make the reasons for flight understandable and 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, which is decorated with motifs from east-west story, leaves a lasting impression among the visitors. This digital reappraisal of history also reflects current social discussions that are expressed in institutions such as the Marienfelde memorial site, where the handling of West German society is examined with immigration. There it is also discussed how to offer the immigrants support and what expectations they had for their new home.

The perspective of immigrants and refugees is a central topic in society. Again and again there are questions about justification for entry 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, which are not only prepared on video, but also in the form of educational materials, offer a comprehensive insight into the experiences and challenges that immigrants suffered.

a place of encounter and dialogue

The Gießen project is an excellent example of how to create a space for dialogue and education through modern preparation of history. It invites you to get to know your own story and reflect on what flight means in today's world. It is not only a place to understand the past, but also an opportunity to think about how we deal with the challenge of migration as a society.

The place of learning and memory in Gießen will hopefully get many visitors: Attache inside and contribute to the fact that the topics of flight and migration find a permanent place in our cultural awareness. If you want to learn more about the moving stories of the refugees, you are welcome 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 Wall Foundation, and bpb.