Not an Ending Point

Memorial event and book presentation for the project “The National-Socialist Period and its Consequences at the University of Hohenheim”

“Today’s event marks the end of a three-year project that shed light on the time of National-Socialism and its consequences at the University of Hohenheim.
It is certainly not the end of dealing with this period, but it stands for the hope that today’s event and the conclusion of the project make up the starting point for creating an awareness of what happened back then - and also for the responsibility arising from those events for us today.”

Prof. Dr. Stephan Dabbert,
President of the University of Hohenheim

Memorial Event for the Former Forced Laborers

Recognizing past injustices and working to ensure they are not forgotten: that is the goal of the memorial event for Isabella Sikorska and Peter Ralintschenko, two forced laborers in Hohenheim who died in 1945.
Their graves were never marked - and had been completely overgrown and forgotten until Dr. Anja Waller re-discovered them at the University.

Since then, two cube-shaped marble stones with the initials of the deceased mark the previously anonymous graves. A sculpture and a memorial plaque at the entrance to the cemetery make visitors aware of the 242 recorded forced laborers in Hohenheim.

After a speech by President Prof. Dr. Dabbert and the Director of the University Archives Prof. Dr. Fellmeth, the event ended with the President laying a wreath.

Scientific Findings of the Research Project

An End to Forgetting: Research gaps had existed on the topic of National-Socialism and Hohenheim. Over the years, these gaps became “projection surfaces for whitewashed descriptions of the past. It was our goal to evaluate these descriptions to be able to place the Nazi period within Hohenheim’s entire history,” commented President Prof. Dr. Dabbiert in his speech.

The appalling results were shown by historian Dr. Waller using excerpts from her publication “Erschreckend einwandfrei – Die NS-Zeit und ihre Folgen an der Universität Hohenheim” (With Little Resistance - The National-Socialist Period and its Consequences at the University of Hohenheim). An English-language summary is available for international guests.

Contact

Dr. Regina Wick

University Archive (786)
Director
49 (0)711 459 22119
E-Mail