{"id":197,"date":"2025-06-09T11:37:05","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T11:37:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eccofort.eu\/?p=197"},"modified":"2025-06-20T12:07:38","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T12:07:38","slug":"projekte-gegen-das-vergessen-erinnerung-80-jahre-ende-zweiter-weltkrieg-in-der-oder-warthe-region","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eccofort.eu\/en\/sachartikel\/projekte-gegen-das-vergessen-erinnerung-80-jahre-ende-zweiter-weltkrieg-in-der-oder-warthe-region\/","title":{"rendered":"Projects against forgetting: Remembering 80 Years of the End of the Second World War in the Oder-Warthe Region"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">Dirk R\u00f6der<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">Hardly any other event has had such a lasting impact on and fundamentally changed the Oder-Warthe region as the end of the Second World War. War crimes, heavy fighting, destruction, flight, expulsion, forced migration, Soviet occupation forces and new borders due to the westward shift of Poland - the consequences for the Oder-Warthe region are still very present today, 80 years after the end of the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">It is a priority for the town of Seelow to open up the historical heritage of the region surrounding the end of the Second World War, make it accessible and communicate it across borders. German-Polish funding projects such as \u201eSt\u00e4tten der Erinnerung Oder-Warthe\u201c (2018-2023), \u201eErinnerung Verbindet\u201c (2025-2027) and \u201eLebendige Erinnerungsorte\u201c (2026-2028) revitalise places of remembrance, make it possible to experience history across borders, create new information bases and form international networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">The driving force behind this is the powerful team led by Seelow business promoter Thomas Drewing: <em>\u201eTourism development is an effective instrument of economic development. Investing in sustainable remembrance and educational tourism offers also makes it possible to experience important history. There is a need and great potential to preserve these cultural resources for future generations and utilise them for the development of the shared border region.\u201c<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">Together with Polish and German partners, they collect ideas and develop project outlines that often include the revitalisation of monuments, memorials and historical buildings as well as investments in tourism infrastructure, in addition to the reappraisal of shared history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">They follow the <strong>Strategy of the multi-perspective remembrance landscape Oder-Warthe<\/strong>, developed on behalf of the town of Seelow as part of the \u201eSites of Remembrance Oder-Warthe\u201c project (2018-2023). The idea: around 200 places of remembrance tell the shared history of today's border region from different perspectives of remembrance culture. The new tourist umbrella brand \u201eRemembrance connects\u201c unites themed routes and sites in three eras:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list eplus-wrapper eplus-styles-uid-41cf36\">\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">Common historical cultural area: Living, cross-border cultural heritage of common importance from the period before 1933,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">Destiny: The period of National Socialism from 1933 to 1945, including the post-war period and reorganisation,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">Meeting and discovery space: Reconstruction and growing together in a peaceful neighbourhood, including the Cold War, Peaceful Revolution and European Union.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.erinerung-verbindet.eu\">www.erinerung-verbindet.eu<\/a><strong><br><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper\"><strong>80 years of the Second World War in the Oder-Warthe region<br>History trail war events 1945<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">This is how the project \u201eRemembering together - 80 years after the end of the Second World War 2025\u201c came about, funded with EUR 31,746.62 by the Small Projects Fund (KPF) of the PRO EUROPA VIADRINA Euroregion as part of the European Union's Interreg 6A Brandenburg-Poland funding programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">Together with the municipality of S\u0142o\u0144sk, the town of Seelow developed a cross-border history trail as lead partner, which commemorates the events of the war 80 years ago and depicts the path of the Soviet army through our region to Berlin based on key events of the war. The history trail connects 7 important memorial sites for the shared history and events from January to May 1945.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\"><em>Martyrdom Museum S\u0142o\u0144sk<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">From 1933 to 1934, S\u0142o\u0144sk, formerly known as Sonnenburg, was home to the first German concentration camp and later a prison. On the night of 30 to 31 January 1945, a detachment of SS men from Frankfurt (Oder) executed 819 prisoners, including many French, Belgians, Germans, Dutch, Norwegians and Luxembourgers. Since 1974, a memorial and the Museum of Martyrdom have commemorated the tragic events. Commemorative ceremonies with international participation are held in S\u0142o\u0144sk every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\"><em>Kienitz bridgehead memorial and tank memorial<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">In the early hours of 31 January 1945, lightly armed advance units of the Soviet forces reached the Oder near Kienitz and formed a bridgehead to the west bank of the Oder at the ferry station and the harbour mill. The subsequent battles for the village of Kienitz raged for 76 days before the Soviet army was finally able to take the village. Kienitz was destroyed 80%. On the Oder embankment near Kienitz, on the path to the former ferry landing stage, a metal stele symbolises the Soviet army's transition to the west bank. There are two further monuments in the centre of the village of Kienitz. A T-34 Soviet tank commemorates the fallen Soviet soldiers, while a second memorial honours all victims of the 1939-1945 war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\"><em>Klessin Castle 1945 theatre of war, Podelzig<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">The village of Klessin and the manor were completely destroyed in the spring of 1945. Many soldiers on both sides were killed or wounded in the seven weeks of fighting. After around 62,000 shell hits in the Klessin area, the village and Klessin manor were razed to the ground. On the initiative of the Wuhdener Heimatverein e. V. and with a great deal of personal effort over 15 years, a natural memorial and remembrance site has been created. A replica of the castle portal as it was destroyed in 1945, made of Corten steel, is the landmark of the memorial site. A circular path with information boards, acoustic columns and metal sculptures as well as original shell funnels and trenches are reminders of the events of the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\"><em>K\u00fcstrin Fortress Museum, Kostrzyn nad Odr\u0105<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">The Prussian fortress of K\u00fcstrin was built in the middle of the 16th century and, with six bastions, was one of the largest European city fortresses of its time. On 31 January 1945, the Soviet army reached the strategically important city with bridges over the Oder and Warta rivers. After 56 days of fighting, 95% of the old and new town were destroyed. Many people lost their lives. The old town and fortress were never rebuilt<em>.<\/em> Today, the K\u00fcstrin Fortress Museum in Kostrzyn nad Odr\u0105 is a unique monument, also known as the \u201ePompeii on the Oder\u201c. It is an impressive reminder of war and its consequences. Exhibitions tell the story of the fortress and information boards help visitors to tour the former old town centre of K\u00fcstrin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\"><em>Seelow Heights Memorial and Museum<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">The Battle of the Seelow Heights, one of the last and largest battles of the Second World War on German soil, took place from 16 to 19 April 1945 and marked the beginning of the final Soviet attack on Berlin. Tens of thousands of people lost their lives on the edge of the Oderbruch. Explosive ordnance and human remains are still being recovered from the site today. The Seelow Heights Museum offers visitors a permanent exhibition with exhibits, maps and recorded conversations with contemporary witnesses that illustrate the dramatic course of the fighting. The open-air site, which is always accessible, includes tank and gun emplacements as well as a Soviet war cemetery with a representative memorial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\"><em>Museum History Station Seelow (Mark)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">The new museum is located in the former railway station building in Seelow (Mark), 300 metres from the Seelow Heights Memorial. Under the motto <em>\u201eThe region. The events. The people\u201c <\/em>authentic exhibits and biographical details document the transformation of the region over the course of a generation, providing a vivid insight into its eventful history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\"><em>Museum Berlin-Karlshorst<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">The Berlin-Karlshorst Museum is located on the site where the Second World War in Europe ended on 8 May 1945. In today's museum building, the commanders-in-chief of the German Wehrmacht signed the unconditional surrender in front of representatives of the Soviet Union, the USA, Great Britain and France. The historic rooms have been preserved in their original state. The exhibition \u201eGermany and the Soviet Union in the Second World War\u201c shows the war from the perspective of both, the German and the Soviet, actors. In addition to original artefacts, historical photos and written documents, people and their individual stories are presented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">As part of the \u201eRemembering together - 80 years since the end of the Second World War in 2025\u201c project, multilingual print and audio information was placed on weatherproof acrylic signs at the respective sites to provide interested parties with barrier-free access to background information and stories in several languages. Informative flyers with a collection box also tell the story of the participating memorial sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">In 2025, commemorative events were held at all locations in chronological order to remember the victims 80 years ago and to publicise the new \u201e1945 War Events\u201c history trail. In each case, a \u201eVector of Memory\u201c of the European Cultural Route of Liberation 1944-45 (Liberation Route Europe - LRE) was also ceremoniously inaugurated. <strong><br><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\"><strong>International cooperation for remembrance tourism<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">The Liberation Route Europe (LRE) is a certified cultural route of the Council of Europe that connects people, places and events to commemorate the liberation of Europe from Hitler fascism during the Second World War. With hundreds of stations and stories in more than ten European countries, the route connects the most important regions along the Allied advance in 1943-1945. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.liberationroute.com\">www.liberationroute.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">In cooperation with hiking associations throughout Europe, hiking trails are being developed that recreate the advance of the Allied forces through Europe and extend over almost 10,000 kilometres. Along the routes, numerous memorial sites tell the story of the final phase of the Second World War from different perspectives. The renowned architect Daniel Libeskind has designed a set of symbolic path markers called \u201eVectors of Remembrance\u201c that honour people, places and stories in the European landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">After the Liberation Route primarily focussed on the liberation of Western Europe by the Allied forces, the cultural route has for some time now been focusing on the path taken by the Soviet forces and their allies towards Berlin. Important memorial sites in Poland such as the Treblinka and Auschwitz extermination camps or memorials and museums in Warsaw and Gdansk are already part of the route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">The results of the \u201eSites of Remembrance Oder-Warthe\u201c project (2018-2023) and the active participation of the town of Seelow in Liberation Route Europe network events in Brussels (2019), Aachen (2024) and Krakow (2025) also helped. Thomas Drewing and Dirk R\u00f6der are also founding members of Liberation Route Germany (2019 in Torgau), a national offshoot of Liberation Route Europe based at the Museum Berlin-Karlshorst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">With its individualised vectors, the \u201e1945 War Events\u201c history trail has now also become part of the Liberation Route Europe. The multilingual historical content and educational tourism offers reach a broad international audience on the cultural route websites. The ARYP project of the Liberation Route Europe also took young Europeans along the German-Polish history trail for a week in October 2025 to reflect their vivid experiences in video blogs and podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">The district of M\u00e4rkisch-Oderland is also increasingly beginning to emphasise the special potential of the places of remembrance in the Oder-Warthe region for extracurricular teaching, drawing on the results of the Seelow projects, among other things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size eplus-wrapper\">Finally, it should be mentioned that the \u201e1945 War Events\u201c history trail is based on an open structure and that further places of remembrance can be added at any time. The point of contact for this is the Seelow Economic Development Department with the \u201eRemembrance connects\u201c network.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dirk R\u00f6der Kaum ein Ereignis hat die Oder-Warthe Region so nachhaltig beeinflusst und fundamental ver\u00e4ndert, wie das Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs. Kriegsverbrechen, schwerste Kampfhandlungen, Zerst\u00f6rung, Flucht, Vertreibung, Zwangsmigration, sowjetische Besatzungsmacht und neue Grenzen durch die Westverschiebung Polens &#8211; die Folgen f\u00fcr die Oder-Warthe Region sind bis heute, 80 Jahre nach Kriegsende, sehr pr\u00e4sent. Es ist [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_plus_copied_stylings":"{}","pgc_sgb_lightbox_settings":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[7,8],"class_list":["post-197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sachartikel","tag-deutsch-polnische-geschichte","tag-zweiter-weltkrieg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eccofort.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eccofort.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eccofort.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eccofort.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eccofort.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=197"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/eccofort.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":237,"href":"https:\/\/eccofort.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197\/revisions\/237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eccofort.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eccofort.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eccofort.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}