Deportation and Remembrance: 85th Anniversary of the Forced Resettlement of the Russian Germans in 1941
August 28 is the central day of remembrance for the deportation of the Russian Germans in 1941. On this date, the Soviet leadership issued a decree dissolving the Volga Republic and forcibly resettling the German population, approximately 900,000 people, within the Soviet Union. Approximately 200,000 of them died as a result of deportation and forced labor. At the same time, the day symbolizes the fate suffered by the German minority as a consequence of war under the Soviet dictatorship. This commemorative and discussion event aims to remember this while also looking to the future: How can the experiences of the Russian Germans find their place in society’s broader historical memory? And how can this history remain present for future generations?
PROGRAM
Opening Remarks
Dr. Roland Borchers, director, Documentation Centre for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation
Dr. Bernd Fabritius, Federal Government Commissioner for Ethnic German Resettlers and National Minorities
Dr. Dr. Gerald Volkmer, deputy director, Federal Institute for the Culture and History of Germans in Eastern Europe, BKGE
Music
Dr. Matthias Lang, guitar
Keynote
Prof. Dr. Irina Sherbakova, co-founder of Memorial International, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022
Panel
Kornelius Ens, director, Museum of Russian-German Cultural History
Irene Langemann, film director and author
PD Dr. Hans-Christian Petersen, historian, Federal Institute for Culture and History of Germans in Eastern Europe
Johann Thießen, vice president, Federation of Expellees, Association of Germans from Russia
Moderator: Katharina Heinrich, journalist
Closing Remarks
Edwin Warkentin, Cultural Affairs Officer for Russian Germans
Following the event, we invite you to a small reception.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Doors open: 6:10 p.m.
Language: German
FREE ADMISSION
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
