Remembering, researching, asking questions: memorial work at the University of Vechta

Remembering, researching, asking questions: memorial work at the University of Vechta

The University of Vechta is sending a strong signal for the work of remembrance of the crimes of National Socialism with a lecture series dedicated to current challenges and future concepts of remembrance. This lecture series is organized by Prof. Dr. Eugen Kotte and Hannah Sandstede and is in the context of a broad social discussion about the knowledge necessary during the National Socialist era to prevent such cruel crimes from happening again. Loud bpb.de It is important to anchor this dark phase of German history in the collective memory.

The lecture will take place in May 2025 and includes a total of three events. On each of these Thursdays at 6 p.m., topics will be discussed that are often not the focus of the public remembrance movement, including marginalized groups of victims of the National Socialist tyranny and the memory of those persecuted in neighboring countries occupied by Germany. These lectures will be held in room Q015 of the university, Driverstraße 22.

The planned lectures in May

The first lecture will be on May 8, 2025 by Dr. Michael Gander, managing director of the “Gestapokeller” and “Augustaschacht e.V.” memorials. in Osnabrück and Hasbergen. Its topic is “Police violence and forced labor” and deals with the crimes in National Socialist Germany.

A week later on May 15, 2025, PD Dr. Ingo Harms, medical historian and contributor to the development of the Wehnen memorial, the “Nazi medical crimes and commemoration of victims”. Finally, on May 22, 2025, Ms. José Martin from the “Herinneringscentrum Kamp Westerbork” will give a lecture on the persecution of Jewish people in the German-occupied Netherlands and will focus on the history of the “Police Transit Camp Westerbork”.

The role of memorials and stumbling blocks

Memorials play a central role in the remembrance process and serve as places of learning. At these memorials, visitors can learn more about the crimes of the Nazi era. In this context, the Stolpersteine ​​campaign is also of great importance. These small brass plaques are sometimes 10 x 10 cm in size and are often located in front of the last places of residence of victims of National Socialism. Loud deutschlandfunk.de Over 75,000 stumbling blocks were laid in more than 20 countries to keep the memory of the victims alive and to permeate public spaces with the stories of those persecuted.

However, the stumbling blocks, which were created on the initiative of the artist Gunter Demnig, have also attracted critical voices. In some cities, such as Munich, there is resistance to their relocation, while others, such as the Central Councils of Jews, support the stone project. The stumbling blocks are ultimately intended to bring the memory of the victims back into everyday life and make it clear that these people were neighbors whose fates should not be ignored.

This new series of lectures at the University of Vechta and the Stolpersteine ​​project not only represent a living culture of remembrance, but also a necessary vigilance towards history and the lessons that must be drawn from it. This is particularly important in order to put humanity, human dignity and tolerance at the center of social discourse, which is a central requirement of remembrance work.