Memory for peace: Memorial Day in Wermelskirchen 2024

Memory for peace: Memorial Day in Wermelskirchen 2024

Hüpptal, Wermelskirchen, Deutschland - A moving Memorial Day 2024 in the Rheinisch-Bergische Kreis! At the memorial in the Hüpptal in Wermelskirchen, numerous citizens gathered to commemorate the victim of wars. Organized by the district association Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis and the local association Wermelskirchen of the Volksbund Deutsche Wargräberfürsorge e.V., the central commemoration was made by an impressive trombone choir under the direction of Dr. Martin Weidner opened. Friedel Burghoff, representative of the Volksbund, urged not to forget the lasting wounds, leaving the wars.

The Wermelskirchen Mayor Marion Holthaus and the two students Jill Helsper and Inga Matthies reported on their impressions after a visit to Auschwitz, while Dorothea Hoffrogge translated the moving words of a refugee Ukrainian. District Administrator Stephan Santelmann emphasized in his commemorative speech that this year's motto "Reconciliation over the graves - work for peace" was more current than ever in times of extremism and conflicts in Europe and the Middle East. The "silent" warning of the war graves asks us to defend peace and human rights!

A call to memory and resilience

District Administrator Santelmann recalled the decisive events of 1944, such as the landing of the Allies in Normandy and the Warsaw, which stand for courage and determination. He called on to learn from history and to stand up against totalitarian thinking. "Never again" has to be more than a lip service; It is a daily mission to commit to European values. The message of the "silent" war graves is clear: we have to actively stand up for peace and freedom!

The commemoration ended with a moving commemoration of the dead, led by Pastor Sarah Kannemann, followed by a wreath laying by the leading representatives of the city and the district. An urgent day that put the importance of commemoration and reconciliation in the foreground!