Culture house "International Solidarity"

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The “International Solidarity” cultural center in Villa Weigang in Bautzen existed from 1953 to 1963 and was an institution for the cultural and general care of Western deserters .

history

The facility was initially operated by the Soviet Army and handed over to the GDR authorities in 1953 . Since the inner-German border could still be crossed relatively easily in the 1950s, it happened time and again that members of the Western Allied occupation troops stationed in the Federal Republic of Germany overflowed into the GDR. The motives for this ranged from fear of punishment for exceeding vacation deadlines, drunkenness and unauthorized removal from the troops to actual political sympathy for socialism and the associated expectation of a better life in the GDR. For the Soviets, but even more so for the authorities of the young GDR, this gave the - at least potential - opportunity to instrumentalize these emigrants in the interests of the political positions represented by the USSR and its allies in the Cold War. Mainly for this reason, the deserters, some of whom were illiterate and poorly educated, received school lessons, especially in the subjects of German and mathematics, as well as the possibility of vocational training at the VEB Lokomotiv- und Waggonbau (LOWA ). Several emigrants then decided to start studying. For the deserters, most of whom were housed in private quarters or hotels in Bautzen and the surrounding area, film screenings, game afternoons and political training courses and discussions were also organized. The home management also organized excursions in the area and holiday trips, for example to the Baltic Sea. Even if a large proportion of the deserters did not meet the expectations of the authorities, the cultural center became the starting point for a series of successful integrations into the GDR. Some of the former deserters even achieved a certain prominence in the GDR, such as the singer James W. Pulley or the journalist and publicist Victor Grossman . Over the years, but especially after the building of the Wall , the number of deserters decreased more and more, so that the facility closed in 1963, its tasks initially from a smaller so-called district reception center in Kraftsdorf near Gera , until the 1970s from a newly created property in Briesen were perceived. (The latter also served to accept RAF dropouts in the GDR .)

literature

Coordinates: 51 ° 10 ′ 47.6 ″  N , 14 ° 26 ′ 5.9 ″  E