Forgotten story: Sudeten German expulsion in the focus in the Museum Retz
In the Museum Retz, the history of the Sudeten Germans experienced a revival that many brought to think. It was a time that is often displaced from the collective memory. But historian Stephanie Hofbauer dared to give this painful past a room. In a lecture that emerged from her scientific work, she highlighted the border region to the former Czechoslovakia after the Second World War. In doing so, she addressed the situation in the Retzer Land and in the district of Znojmo.
The title of your master's thesis "The border in memory" reflects the goal of reminding people of the expulsion and the associated losses. Hofbauer emphasized how important it was to address these dark chapters of history in schools of both sides of the border. "We must not forget the stories that shape our common legacy," she said.
insights and memories
During her lecture in the museum, Hofbauer impressively presented the effects of the boundaries after the war on people in the region. Many families were separated, and the wounds that left the displacement fate are far from healed. She asked for more attention for these topics, especially in the education system. "Only through education can we ensure that these stories live on and we learn from the past," she added.
The listeners present showed a lot of interest in the historical facts that Hofbauer presented. Numerous questions showed the desire to deeper into this complex topic and establish a connection to the stories of the ancestors. It became clear that such a knowledge is not only important for the individual commemoration, but also for future relationships between neighboring countries.
Hofbauer hopes that their work will not only serve as an academic document, but also as a call to society to deal with their own history. "We have to keep the region alive," she concluded her lecture and thus suggested a deeper discussion about remembering and forgetting, a discussion that is more relevant than ever today.
For more information and deeper insights into historical development, there are current reports on this topic on www.noen.at .