Focus on migration: Exhibition in Konstanz shows moving stories

Focus on migration: Exhibition in Konstanz shows moving stories

The exhibition “Arriving? Migration, Faith and Identity” will take place in the Turm zur Katz in Konstanz from July 18th to October 23rd, 2025. This event aims to make migration visible as a ubiquitous process and to focus on the individual experiences of migrants. The exhibition is organized in cooperation with the Konstanz University of Technology, Economics and Design (HTWG) and the Trossingen University of Music. Admission is free from Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and on weekends from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. during the Intercultural Week. However, prior registration is required to gain access.

Visitors to the exhibition must provide personal information to a “registration authority,” including name, date of birth, and place of origin and residence. The first station of the exhibition, “AT HOME”, presents six avatars of fictional people from different eras. These characters experience migration under very different circumstances:

• Lucius Cassius Martialis: römischer Legionär in Kastell Constantia.
• Schlomo Ben Chaim: Stoffhändler, der zur Unterstützung einer jüdischen Gemeinschaft nach Konstanz zieht.
• Hugo Wochner: Anhänger der Täuferbewegung, der Konstanz verlässt.
• Hedwig Bartsch: ein Kind, das von den sowjetischen Soldaten vertrieben wurde.
• Hakan Gündoğdu: Gastarbeiter in Deutschland.
• Rana al-Hassam: flieht mit ihrer Tochter Nour aus Aleppo.

Experiences on the migration path

The exhibition addresses migration not just as an individual fate, but as a universal phenomenon. Interactive elements, such as listening and question stations as well as virtual reality, expand the visitors' experience. One focus is on Rana's escape route from Aleppo to Konstanz, which can be traced digitally on screens.

In the “ARRIVALS” phase, attention is drawn to the challenges and experiences of migrants in their new environment. The role of religion is seen as essential because it promotes identity and community building. Visitors can use VR glasses to explore not only places of worship, but also religious places. Models of important religious buildings, such as the Mithraeum, the Mikveh, the Bruderhof and the Mevlana Mosque and Backyard Mosque, were created using 3D printing by students at the University of Konstanz.

Tolerance and challenges in Konstanz

On the top floor, under the title “ARRIVED?”, visitors can ask the avatars questions directly. The avatars' responses reflect the mixed experiences associated with arrival. An important topic is the tolerance of the city of Konstanz, as well as the conditions under which refugees have to live. Local resistance to refugee accommodation and discrimination against migrants is also pointed out.

The project involved around 80 students from various disciplines and eight professors. It operates as part of a broader discussion about diversity in Germany, which has become increasingly important since the 1990s. The term “diversity” includes both similarities and differences between people and is viewed not only as a challenge, but rather as an opportunity.

What is particularly noteworthy is that migration is often approached in a problem-oriented manner, while a third of students under the age of 15 in Germany have a migration background. In school textbooks, migration is primarily treated as a problem and not as normality. Topics such as multiculturalism, interculturality and transculturality illustrate the social challenges, with intercultural openness also covering areas such as education and social service.

Those interested can find further information about the exhibition “Arriving? Migration, Faith and Identity” online at arrive-exhibition.de. Back to the history of the exhibition location: The Turm zur Katz, located at Wessenbergstrasse 43 in Konstanz, contributes to the cultural and intercultural education of the city and offers space for dialogues about migration and identity.