»Zweierlei Kriegsende – Schlesien und das Rheinland 1945«. Seminar

In the organizer's words:

Venue: Haus Schlesien, Dollendorfer Str. 412, 53639 Königswinter-Heisterbacherrott

On January 12, 1945, the Red Army launched its last major offensive against Nazi Germany. In the second half of 1944, it had already inflicted further heavy defeats on the German Wehrmacht and pushed the front up to the eastern borders of the Reich. It was therefore foreseeable that the war would soon spill over into German territory on a large scale. After January 12, 1945, this happened on a broad front and with great speed. Within a few days, the people in the then province of Silesia were confronted with the invasion of Soviet troops, unless they had decided very quickly to flee their homes.

Only a few days later, at the end of January/beginning of February 1945, the advance of British and US troops began on Germany's western border. Since the landing in Normandy on June 6, 1944, they had liberated France, Belgium and the Netherlands, which had been under German occupation until then, in order to end the criminal Nazi rule within Germany as well. The people of the Rhineland were also exposed to heavy fighting on the ground and the invasion of enemy forces.

The experiences that millions of people had in the spring of 1945 often had a lifelong impact. Although it was a warlike conquest in both the west and east of the then German territory, these experiences were very different in many respects, not least with regard to the behavior of the members of the enemy armies immediately after the end of hostilities. At the same time, the first occupation policy decisions were made, which in turn had far-reaching consequences.

The seminar aims to outline the military events in the spring of 1945 on the one hand and to make the different experiences of the people involved comprehensible on the other. This will be achieved through specialist lectures, but also by visiting places of remembrance in the Königswinter area with expert guidance and explanations. The latter will also involve a longer hike in the Siebengebirge, for which good physical condition, suitable footwear and appropriate equipment are essential.

Planned program:

Thursday, June 12, 2025

12:45-13:00 Welcome and introduction
(Nikola Remig, House of Silesia/Prof. Dr. Winfrid Halder, GHH Foundation)

13:00-14:00 Stalingrad was only a prelude: The development of the military situation in the European theater of war from the summer to the end of 1944 (Prof. Dr. Winfrid Halder)

14:00-14:20 Coffee break

14:20-15:20 The end of the war on the Rhine and in the Siebengebirge (Elmar Scheuren, former director of the Siebengebirgsmuseum Königswinter)

15:20-16:30 The conquest of Silesia by the Red Army and the immediate consequences January-May 1945 (Prof. Dr. Winfrid Halder)

16:30-16:45 Break / Change to the permanent exhibition

16:45-18:00 Silesia and Silesians in the Rhineland - The House of Silesia as a place of remembrance (Nicola Remig)

18:00-19:00 Dinner

19:30-21:00 From conqueror to ally to ...? Germany and the USA since 1945
Public evening lecture with former ambassador Prof. Dr. Heinrich Kreft

Heinrich Kreft has already completed parts of his studies (history, political science, etc.) in the USA. After joining the diplomatic service of the Federal Foreign Office, he worked in Colombia, Japan, Spain and in various functions at the German Embassy in Washington D.C.. He was temporarily Deputy Head of the Planning Staff at the Federal Foreign Office. From 2016 to 2020, he was German Ambassador to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. He then held a chair in diplomacy at Andrássy University in Budapest. He has been a Senior Fellow at the Istanbul Policy Center since 2024.

Friday, June 13, 2025

09:00-15:00 Excursion on foot led by Elmar Scheuren (historian and former long-time director of the Siebengebirgsmuseum in Königswinter)

Our hike begins on foot at HAUS SCHLESIEN and takes us to the Petersberg, where we will stop for a coffee break with a small catering service. In today's Grandhotel Petersberg, we watch short film sequences about the reconnaissance trips of American generals with their commander-in-chief Eisenhower, which even took them to the Petersberg. We then continue our hike over the Ofenkaulberg, which housed an underground armaments factory from the fall of 1944, and through the Nachtigallental valley to Königswinter. There we take a lunch break in the restaurant "Zur Quelle". We walk along the Rhine promenade in Königswinter, which still bears traces of the end of the war, to the Siebengebirgsmuseum, where we take a guided tour of the special exhibition to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the war. This exhibition is dedicated to the victims of National Socialism in the Siebengebirge. At the end of the hike, we return to HAUS SCHLESIEN by public transport.

🡆 Note on the hike:

Please note that the hike takes several hours and includes some inclines. Participation therefore requires a good level of fitness and mobility. In addition, suitable, sturdy footwear and appropriate equipment (e.g. rain protection, personal water supply, hiking poles if necessary) are required.

If you have any questions about the requirements, please contact Ms. Nicola Remig on 02244/886-231. Possible alternatives to participation on foot can also be discussed.

Conference packages

145 € per person (1 overnight stay with breakfast, shower/WC, 1 lunch and 1 dinner, coffee, mineral water and cookies during breaks), without overnight stay 90 € per person.
Members of the HAUS SCHLESIEN association: 125 € with overnight stay, 80 € without overnight stay.

Limited number of participants!

Therefore, please register as soon as possible to
HAUS SCHLESIEN, Dollendorfer Str. 412, 53639 Königswinter, www.hausschlesien.de,
Tel: 02244 886 231, kultur@hausschlesien.de

When registering, please state the keyword "Zweierlei Kriegsende" as well as your name(s) and contact details.

A cooperation project of the Gerhart-Hauptmann-Haus Foundation and HAUS SCHLESIEN

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Price information:

145 € per person (1 overnight stay with breakfast, shower/WC, 1 lunch and 1 dinner, coffee, mineral water, pastries during breaks), without overnight stay 90 € per person. Members of the HAUS SCHLESIEN association: 125 € with overnight stay, 80 € without overnight stay.