Ausstellungseröffnung: trotzdem da! Kinder aus verbotenen Beziehungen zwischen Deutschen und Kriegsgefangenen oder Zwangsarbeiter*innen

In the organizer's words:

During the National Socialist era, friendly and intimate contact between Germans and the approximately 13 million prisoners of war or forced laborers in the Reich was undesirable. In some cases, they were strictly forbidden.

But they are "still there!" Children who emerged from such relationships. Their stories have long been taboo. They have been little researched and are barely present in the culture of remembrance.

The "trotzdem da!" exhibition team has tracked down more than 20 children from forbidden relationships in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. The exhibition tells their life stories and sheds light on their experiences of exclusion and discrimination in the post-war period as well as their parents' stories of persecution.

"Still there!" is an exhibition project of the Sandbostel Camp Memorial and is funded by the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ).

We invite all interested parties to the exhibition opening on June 18, 2025 at 7 pm. Registration by June 16 by e-mail to nsdok@stadt-koeln.de