Documentation and cultural center of German Sinti and Roma
The Documentation and Cultural Center of German Sinti and Roma in Heidelberg is the most important German memorial for the victims of Porajmos , the Nazi persecution of the Sinti and Roma. The sponsor is the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma , the funding comes from the federal government and the state of Baden-Württemberg .
description
The documentation and culture center was set up in Heidelberg's old town a little below the Heidelberg Castle . It is located in a historic, listed merchant building from the 18th century, which was converted for this purpose. It was inaugurated in 1997.
tasks
documentation
The center has set itself the task of documenting the more than 600-year history of the Sinti and Roma in Germany. The focus is on the persecution of the minority during the Nazi era , a fact that was not publicly noticed for a long time. An important part of the work is the documentation of the memories of survivors. The Documentation Center provides a comprehensive overview of all memorial sites for Sinti and Roma that exist in Europe on the Internet.
Exhibitions
The permanent exhibition on the fate of the Roma in National Socialist Germany was opened in 1997 by Federal President Roman Herzog . It is a reminder of the National Socialist genocide of this ethnic group across Europe . Biographies are traced on 700 square meters , family photos document normality before . The recording, ghettoization and deportation of the European Roma can be traced here. An important element of the exhibition are the self-testimonies of those affected, especially memories of survivors. The exhibition also establishes the connection between the mass crimes, the genocide, of the Roma minority and the euthanasia murders during the Nazi era . A transportable exhibition was also developed, which has been traveling through Germany since 1998 and has already been shown in over 100 locations.
There is also a cooperation with the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim (Poland). This resulted in a permanent exhibition in Block 13 of the former " main camp ", in the former concentration camp , which opened on August 2, 2001.
pedagogy
The center also creates educational offers and materials on the Porajmos as well as recommendations for educational work. Equal opportunities in education are promoted and Romani is supported as a minority language. Talks, discussions and project work are offered.
Cultural work
In addition, the Documentation and Cultural Center of German Sinti and Roma is a place of encounter and dialogue. The rich culture of the Sinti and Roma lives here . Literature, painting, music - the cultural contributions of the minority are as diverse as the people themselves and are presented in a separate series of events with lectures, exhibitions, film screenings and concerts in the center, in excursions and in collaborations such as with the Karlstorbahnhof cultural center .
The center is also used as a place of dialogue on human rights . As a forum for other minorities , groups of people who are currently victims of discrimination and racist violence can have a voice alongside Sinti and Roma.
European Civil Rights Prize for the Sinti and Roma
On November 17, 2007, the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, together with the Documentation and Cultural Center of German Sinti and Roma and the Manfred Lautenschläger Foundation, founded the European Civil Rights Prize for Sinti and Roma . The first award winner in 2008 was the Polish historian, publicist and politician Władysław Bartoszewski . From then on, every two years people who face the responsibility from history and who have worked in an exemplary manner to improve the human rights situation of the Sinti and Roma were honored.
Publications of the center
- Romani Rose (ed.), Frank Reuter, Silvio Peritore (edit.): We had the smoke in front of our eyes every day = catalog for the permanent exhibition of the Documentation and Cultural Center of German Sinti and Roma. Heidelberg 1999. ISBN 3-88423-142-1 . Later also published in paperback.
- Romani Rose (Ed.): The National Socialist Genocide of the Sinti and Roma. Heidelberg. ISBN 3-929446-14-6 . (This catalog documents the permanent exhibition in the Auschwitz State Museum.)
- Martin Holler: The National Socialist Genocide of the Roma in the Occupied Soviet Union (1941–1944). Expert opinion for the Documentation and Cultural Center of German Sinti and Roma . Heidelberg 2009. ISBN 978-3-929446-25-8 .
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ State Office for Monument Preservation (publisher): Monument topography Federal Republic of Germany, cultural monuments in Baden-Württemberg, city district of Heidelberg , Thorbecke-Verlag 2013, ISBN 978-3-7995-0426-3
- ↑ Documentation and Culture Center Homepage ( Memento of the original from July 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ see http://gedenkorte.sintiundroma.de/index.php?show=art , both larger monuments and individual memorial plaques and stumbling blocks are listed.
- ↑ European Civil Rights Award Homepage
Coordinates: 49 ° 24 ′ 38.4 " N , 8 ° 42 ′ 39.2" E