Contemporary witnesses report: Memories of the division between Hesse and Thuringia

Contemporary witnesses report: Memories of the division between Hesse and Thuringia

On the occasion of the day of German unity, the Hessian State Center for Political Education (HLZ) will launch a new website that deals with the contemporary history of the GDR border between Hesse and Thuringia. Under the title "Remembering - preserving - understanding", the platform Zeitzeugenmemorial.de will go online on October 3.

This new initiative has the clear goal of preserving and conveying personal memories of German division and the associated experiences during the Cold War and the border separation. The focus is on the reports of contemporary witnesses, which report on their experiences that they have made during the escape to the West, as well as forced relocations from the restricted area on the border to the inner GDR.

experiences of contemporary witnesses

one of the contemporary witnesses, Ursel Lange, who saw the light of the world in Asbach, Thuringia in 1941, Thuringia, remembers the dramatic events of the forced relocation of her family from her home village in 1952. "At that time I did not know what that means, there must be contemporary witnesses," explains Lange in a video interview. You and other eleven contemporary witnesses share your stories and experiences on the new website to draw an authentic picture of this turbulent time.

The reports cover a variety of aspects: from flight and the associated dangers to life at the then so clear interface between east and west. The initiative not only wants to inform, but also to promote the understanding of the complex history of the division of Germany.

In addition to the contemporary witness interviews, the website offers extensive learning materials for teachers and students. HLZ has integrated a lexicon with important historical terms for the GDR and for the processing of the SED dictatorship, which is available free of charge. This not only aims at the history of history, but is also a valuable tool for school lessons.

The contemporary witness memorial is continuously developed. HLZ plans to expand the offer by adding further contemporary witnesses and thus offer an even more comprehensive picture of the past. This platform thus becomes an important place of remembering and learning about German division.

For everyone who is interested in these historical stories and want to get a deeper insight into the individual fates of the people at the GDR limit, the website opens an invaluable resource. Further information and the reports can be found on the website itself, which aims to promote understanding of this formative era in German history. Details on this topic are also on www.welt.de also to read .