nevertheless here!

An exhibition about children from forbidden relationshipsThe Memorial Breitenauand theHistorical Site Adlerwerkehave jointly brought the exhibition "nevertheless here! Children from forbidden relationships between Germans with prisoners of war and forced laborers" to Hesse. In Northern Hesse, the exhibition will open on August 20. During the time of National Socialism, friendly and intimate contacts between Germans and prisoners of war or forced laborers were unwelcome. In some cases, they were strictly prohibited. But they are "nevertheless here": children who were born from such relationships. Their stories were long tabooed.The Memorial Lager Sandbostel in Lower Saxony started the research and exhibition project "nevertheless here" in 2023 to make these children and their stories and memories visible. As part of the project, more than 20 of them were involved. These people have provided the crucial foundation for the traveling exhibition with their memories, documents, and photos. It will be on display at the Memorial Breitenau in Guxhagen from August 19 to September 27.Dr. Ann Katrin Düben, head of the memorial, emphasizes the reference of the exhibition to Breitenau: "The share of women imprisoned for forbidden relations in the so-called labor education camp Breitenau was 33 percent. Among German women, this reason for imprisonment accounted for almost half. Those who had a child with a forced laborer continued to bear a stigma even after 1945, especially in rural areas, where women and their children faced discrimination and racism."The project cooperation: TheMemorial Breitenauin Guxhagen near Kassel commemorates the tumultuous history of a historical site that was used during the Nazi era first as an early concentration camp (1933–1934) and later as a so-called labor education camp (1940–1945).TheHistorical Site Adlerwerke: Factory, Forced Labor, Concentration Campis a memorial and education facility in Frankfurt am Main. It deals with the topics of forced labor and the concentration external camp "Katzbach", which was located on the premises of the Adlerwerke from 1944-45. The cooperation project between the Historical Site Adlerwerke and the Memorial Breitenau is an example of the long-standing cooperation and collaboration among the Hessian memorials and remembrance initiatives. In the context of the project, staff from both memorials were also trained in a joint workshop.The exhibition can be visited during the opening hours of theMemorial Breitenau:Tuesday to Friday: 9 AM – 4 PM, Sunday: 1 PM – 5 PMThe program for the exhibition:Thursday, 20.08.2026, 5:00 PMExhibition opening and lecture with Dr. Katherine Lukat (City Archive Wiesbaden). Exhibition visit possible from 4 PM onwards.Registering is appreciated at info@gedenkstaette-breitenau.deLocation: Memorial BreitenauSunday, 23.08.2026, 4:00 PMAccompaniment through the exhibition following the public tour, which takes place every Sunday at 2:30 PM.Location: Memorial BreitenauSunday, 30.08.2026, 2:00 PM"Without return" neighborhood tour on NS forced labor in Kassel-RothenditmoldRegistering is appreciated at info@gedenkstaette-breitenau.deSunday, 06.09.2026, 4:00 PMAccompaniment through the exhibition following the public tour, which takes place every Sunday at 2:30 PM.Location: Memorial BreitenauThursday, 10.09.2026, 6:00 PM"Forbidden relationships: Women in the tension between NS persecution and recognition"Lecture with Tatjana Varnhold (Memorial Flossenbürg)Registering is appreciated at info@gedenkstaette-breitenau.deLocation: Memorial BreitenauSunday, 13.09.2026, 4:00 PMAccompaniment through the exhibition following the public tour, which takes place every Sunday at 2:30 PM.Location: Memorial BreitenauSunday, 20.09.2026, 2:00 PM"Without return" neighborhood tour on NS forced labor in Kassel-BettenhausenRegistering is appreciated at info@gedenkstaette-breitenau.deIn cooperation withArchive of the German Women's Movementandvhs Region Kassel.Supported byHessian State Center for Political Education