Gütersloh District Council approves the foundation for the Stalag Senne Memorial

Gütersloh District Council approves the foundation for the Stalag Senne Memorial

Up to 65,000 people died in the “Stammlager 326 Senne”, one of the largest prisoner of war camps of the Third Reich. The memorial, which is located in the Gütersloh district, is now the focus of an important reorganization. Last Tuesday, the Gütersloh district council voted with 64 yes votes, 6 no votes and 2 abstentions to set up a foundation that will serve to keep the memory of the victims alive. This is reported by WDR.

In the last two years there have been repeated discussions about the financing of the memorial, which served as a camp mainly for Soviet prisoners between 1941 and 1945. With this new foundation, those involved hope to mobilize more support and bring the memorial to public awareness. Initiatives from various groups, including a committed association, are already working on a voluntary basis to preserve the memorial.

Challenges and agreements

The district council meeting for the vote lasted two hours and was interrupted once. Even though the CDU expressed requests for changes to the future work and financing of the foundation, many of those involved agree that no further changes need to be agreed upon at this time. In the past, the district council had rejected funding for the memorial, which met with criticism not only locally but nationwide. A compromise proposal from NRW state parliament president André Kuper led to a smaller memorial and a reduction in annual costs from 450,000 to 210,000 euros for the Gütersloh district.

These developments are part of a larger initiative aimed at strengthening the importance of memorials to victims of Nazi violence in Germany. According to Gedenkstättenforum, there are now almost 300 memorial sites in Germany that not only commemorate the victims, but also play an important educational role.

Education and enlightenment

Memorials are more than just places of remembrance: They have the task of providing historical information and raising awareness of Nazi crimes. Many of them are built at the scenes of the crimes themselves and offer permanent exhibitions and educational programs. However, due to the decentralized organization, there is often a lack of a uniform overview of the locations and their offerings, which occasionally leads to confusion.

The new foundation in the Gütersloh district could represent an important step in the right direction. Ultimately, memorials are places of social reflection and remembrance that should not only commemorate the past, but also educate future generations. If we remember the lessons of history, we may be able to act better and prevent injustice in the future.