still there!

An exhibition about children from forbidden relationshipsTheBreitenau Memorialand theHistorical Site Adlerwerkehave jointly brought the exhibition “still there! Children from forbidden relationships between Germans with prisoners of war and forced laborers” to Hesse. The exhibition will open in Northern Hesse 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. Yet they are “still there”: children who came from such relationships. Their stories have long been tabooed.TheSandbostel Memorialin Lower Saxony started the research and exhibition project “still there” in 2023 to make these children and their stories and memories visible. As part of the project, more than 20 of them were recruited for the project. These individuals have laid the essential foundation for the traveling exhibition with their memories, documents, and photos. It will be on display at the Breitenau Memorial in Guxhagen from August 19 to September 27.Dr. Ann Katrin Düben, head of the memorial, highlights the connection of the exhibition to Breitenau: “The share of women who were imprisoned for forbidden relationships in the so-called work 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 still carried a stigma after 1945, especially in rural areas, the women and their children faced discrimination and racism.”The project cooperation:TheBreitenau Memorialin Guxhagen near Kassel commemorates the tumultuous history of a historical site that was initially used as an early concentration camp (1933–1934) and later as a so-called work education camp (1940–1945).TheHistorical Site Adlerwerke: Factory, Forced Labor, Concentration Campis a memorial and educational facility in Frankfurt am Main. It deals with the topics of forced labor and the concentration camp external camp “Katzbach,” which was located on the premises of Adlerwerke from 1944-45.The cooperative project between the Historical Site Adlerwerke and the Breitenau Memorial is an example of the long-standing cooperation and collaboration among Hesse's memorials and remembrance initiatives. As part of the project, staff from both memorials also received training in a joint workshop.The exhibition can be viewed during the Breitenau Memorial's opening hours: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 4:00 PM.Registration desired at info@gedenkstaette-breitenau.deLocation: Breitenau MemorialSunday, 23.08.2026, 4:00 PMGuided tour through the exhibition following the public tour that takes place every Sunday at 2:30 PM.Location: Breitenau MemorialSunday, 30.08.2026, 2:00 PM“Without Return” Neighborhood tour on NS forced labor in Kassel-RothenditmoldRegistration desired at info@gedenkstaette-breitenau.deSunday, 06.09.2026, 4:00 PMGuided tour through the exhibition following the public tour that takes place every Sunday at 2:30 PM.Location: Breitenau MemorialThursday, 10.09.2026, 6:00 PM“Forbidden Relationships: Women in the Tension Between NS Persecution and Recognition”Lecture with Tatjana Varnhold (Flossenbürg Memorial)Registration desired at info@gedenkstaette-breitenau.deLocation: Breitenau MemorialSunday, 13.09.2026, 4:00 PMGuided tour through the exhibition following the public tour that takes place every Sunday at 2:30 PM.Location: Breitenau MemorialSunday, 20.09.2026, 2:00 PM“Without Return” Neighborhood tour on NS forced labor in Kassel-BettenhausenRegistration desired at info@gedenkstaette-breitenau.deIn cooperation withthe Archive of the German Women's Movementandvhs Region Kassel.Funded bythe Hessische Landeszentrale für politische Bildung