War commemorations in half: 100 heroic souls will find the last rest

War commemorations in half: 100 heroic souls will find the last rest

On Wednesday, April 30, 2025, a moving ceremony will take place in the forest cemetery in half, district Dahme-Spreewald. 80 years after the end of the Second World War, 100 German war deaths are buried here. The event begins at 10:30 a.m. and is part of several memorial events dedicated to the end of the war. According to a spokesman for the Volksbund Deutsche Wargräberfürsorge

Brandenburg's Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD) will highlight the importance of commemoration and memory of the past in his speech. Additional events will be planned in the coming days, which include the contemporary witness reports from concentration camps, memorial celebrations and wreath laying. From May 4th, the suffering of the occupants will be commemorated in the former Sachsenhausen concentration camp and in the Ravensbrück women's camp.

memory of Sachsenhausen

The Sachsenhausen concentration camp, which was freed from Polish and Soviet soldiers on April 22, 1945, is at the center of the memorial events. At that time, the soldiers found around 3,000 prisoners, including nurses and doctors. Tragically, many survivors died shortly after the liberation of the consequences of their abuse. The clearance of the camp had started on April 21, 1945, and over 30,000 prisoners were sent to death marches, many of which did not survive. Between 1936 and 1945, at least 200,000 people from around 40 countries in Sachsenhausen were imprisoned, with tens of thousands of hunger, illnesses and ill -treatment.

On the 80th anniversary of liberation, six survivors, including 100-year-old Mykola Urban, return to Sachsenhausen at the end of April and early May. Urban was deported in 1942 and was forced laborers. For many of these survivors, this could be the last way to return to their former detention.

meaning of memory

memorials are increasingly relying on art, music and workshops to convey the history of the concentration camps in an appealing way. Katrin Grüber, granddaughter of a Sachsenhausen prisoner, emphasizes the importance of remembering and the exchange about the past. In a significant step, the AfD is prohibited at the memorial events on the occasion of the liberation of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.

The examination of the past is still a current topic in Germany. Many memorial places and monuments, as in Sachsenhausen, play a crucial role in anchoring the Second World War and its effects in the collective memory. The commemoration should not only honor the victims, but also bring the teachings from the past to the following generations to prevent such atrocities in the future

Further information about memorials can be found on SPIEGEL reported.