Cottbus: A Station of Remembrance Makes Nazi History Visible
Date and Time
Location
About this Event
Mood
Venue Type
A station becomes a space of remembrance
The special exhibition "Cottbus: A Station of Remembrance. Deportations and Forced Labor in National Socialism" makes visible how closely the Cottbus station was associated with exclusion, deportation, transport of prisoners, and forced labor during the Nazi era. At the Cottbus Human Rights Center, local city history, European persecution history, and historical-political education intersect.
Historical traces between tracks and memorial sites
The Cottbus station was far more than a mere transport hub during National Socialism. In 1938, Jewish individuals with Polish citizenship were expelled from Cottbus and the region to Poland. During World War II, deportation trains left from here to ghettos in occupied Poland and to Theresienstadt. Additionally, prisoner transports to and from the women's penal institution in Cottbus passed through the station.
At the same time, the Reichsbahn brought thousands of people to Cottbus, who were forced to work in industrial enterprises, at the Reichsbahn, in municipal facilities, and on farms. The exhibition places these events within the history of disenfranchisement, persecution, and extermination.
A media installation as a sign against forgetting
At the center of the presentation is a media installation that recalls historical departure boards. Names and deportation locations evoke individual fates and transform the abstract concept of deportation into a concrete human story. Text, movement, light, and the concentrated spatial effect create a quiet, compelling exhibition atmosphere.
Instead of decorative painting or classical sculpture, the site-specific installation stands as a carrier of historical testimony at the forefront. The curation connects historical research with a temporary presentation and a supporting program. This creates an art experience that links the viewing of works, culture of remembrance, and cultural education.
Culture of remembrance and responsibility in the present
The exhibition project was developed within the framework of the MemoRails program - Stop! Here, memories of Nazi history are honored by the Foundation for Remembrance, Responsibility, and Future and was funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. The project sponsor is the Cottbus Human Rights Center e. V. in cooperation with exhibeo e. V., the AG Stolpersteine Cottbus, and the City Collections Cottbus.
The exhibition does not only look back. It questions current threats to democracy, the rule of law, and human rights. Thus, the historical exhibition becomes a place of reflection where aesthetic experience and political education directly connect.
Conclusion: Experience history consciously and directly
Visitors can expect a factually precise, emotionally focused exhibition on deportations, prisoner transports, and forced labor in Cottbus. The combination of media installation, historical research, and memorial work offers a sustainable approach to the culture of remembrance. Anyone wishing to connect city history, human rights, and cultural education should definitely visit this compelling art experience live.
Official channels of the Cottbus Human Rights Center e. V.:
- Instagram: no official profile found
- Facebook: no official profile found
- YouTube: no official profile found
- Website: https://www.menschenrechtszentrum-cottbus.de
