Pictures and stories: Pirna celebrates successful refugee exhibition!

Pictures and stories: Pirna celebrates successful refugee exhibition!

In the period from September 25th to October 10, 2024, the St. Heinrich monastery church in Pirna had an impressive response to the exhibition on the Situation of refugees. Under the title "It's not quiet in my head", the show attracted a total of 2,339 visitors, which the organizers and the volunteers delighted. It is important to mention that this number is in addition to the service participants and the special tours such as that of the ecumenical youth group "JG Deep".

This exhibition provides a deep insight into the stories of refugees. Various plates are clearly documented how these people arrive in Germany and have to fight with the challenges of their new living conditions in the Ore Mountains, especially in Schwarzenberg and the surrounding area. The show was already in several cities such as Aue, Halberstadt, and Chemnitz.

background and reactions

A special turning point was originally planned for a presentation during the intercultural weeks in the Pirna district office. However, this was dismantled on the day after the opening due to controversy. The reason for this was that the exhibition had polarized and was not considered helpful for the reduction of prejudices against refugees. This decision led to a nationwide echo.

The parish of Pirna then provided the monastery church as a new exhibition location, which ultimately turned out to be very successful. A representative of the Catholic community announced: "There were many and mostly positive reports to us as parish. And there are already many inquiries to show the exhibition in other places."

A highlight of the exhibition was the visit of Minister of Culture Claudia Roth, who took the time to personally look at the work in the monastery church. This underlines the importance of this event not only at regional, but also at a national level.

The concept of the exhibition based on visual and textual representations has to encourage the potential to talk to deep discussions about the topic of migration and the associated challenges. The positive response indicates that there is a strong interest in further illuminating this topic and making visible in different places in Germany.

The St. Heinrich monastery church offers a suitable backdrop to make such important social issues accessible to a wider audience. According to www.bistum-dresden-meissen.de , the exhibition will continue to be seen in different locations as long as possible in order to continue to put the message and the stories of the refugees in the foreground.