Commemoration in the classroom

Many schools in Germany use projects to keep memories of the Second World War and National Socialism alive: history workshops, meetings with contemporary witnesses such as Holocaust survivors, and much more besides. Innovative formats see pupils involved in new approaches to remembrance work - and leaving the classroom to do so.

Exploring memorial sites

“History outside the school gates” is the title of a project at the Anne Frank Zentrum for Berlin teachers and their pupils. Together, they explore memorial sites in their local neighbourhoods - everything from streets that are named after those persecuted by the Nazi regime to commemorative cobblestones. Sites such as forced labour camps or “curative education centres” can also shed light on aspects of Nazi history that are often neglected.

Everyday life in the Nazi era

A project pursued by the Schülerakademie Karlsruhe in Baden-Württemberg illustrates how a conventional remembrance site such as an archive can also offer new ways of accessing history. At the Generallandesarchiv Karlsruhe, more than 12,000 files from a Nazi “special court” give groups of schoolchildren insights into everyday life during the unjust Nazi regime. The project also aims to help pupils deal with fake news, agitation and hate messages.

Dance and international understanding                                                                            

Commemoration doesn’t involve just brain work, however: in Breisach am Rhein, a town on the French-German border, a commemorative and educational centre for the history of the Upper Rhine Jews has invited a New York dance troupe. To commemorate the end of the Second World War 80 years ago, the Battery Dance Company will implement their “Dancing to Connect” concept together with German and French youngsters. On 17 and 18 May 2025, the descendants of the former wartime enemies will dance together on an island between France and Germany to symbolise peace and understanding.