Wittenberg forge action
The forge action in Wittenberg was a pacifist demonstration during the Protestant Church Congress in the GDR on September 24, 1983. In an action based on the pacifist biblical thought of Micha 4 , a sword was forged into a plow in the Lutherhof in Wittenberg (GDR). The action became a symbol of the peace movement in East and West.
background
In 1983 the Protestant Church Congress took place in Wittenberg . The then Governing Mayor of Berlin (West) and later Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker was also present as a guest at this church convention. Friedrich Schorlemmer was a preacher at the castle church in Wittenberg at the time . In 1980 he had founded a peace group in Lutherstadt, which continued to be active even after the “Swords to Plowshares” patch was banned in the GDR and the West German peace movement subsided.
The public use of the slogan "Swords to Plowshares" was prohibited in 1982 by the GDR government. Defense Minister Heinz Hoffmann declared in March 1982 in front of the People's Chamber: “Our soldiers are carrying their weapons for peace. As much as we would love to scrap our weapons, socialism and peace still need plowshares and swords. "
action
Schorlemmer had indicated in a service that something would later take place at the local Lutherhof that would have to do with the biblical quote from Micah 4 "Swords to plowshares". Originally a small action by the Wittenberg Peace Circle was planned, largely in camera and in the closed rooms of a “ young community ”. The sword for the action was not ready in time, the summer vacation was imminent and Schorlemmer proposed that it be done at the Kirchentag. Around 2000 to 4000 people (depending on the source) gathered in the courtyard. The local blacksmith Stefan Nau forged a sword into a ploughshare . During the hour and a half, songs from the Young Congregation were repeatedly healed.
Presumably because of the presence of Western media representatives and Richard von Weizsäcker , the state organs did not intervene.
Reactions
The action did not appear in GDR media. However, even German media representatives do not mention the reforging of the sword in their articles about the visit of Weizsäcker in Wittenberg with no syllable. The designated Federal German President Richard von Weizsäcker did not address the blacksmithing action in his speech at the Kirchentag. He emphasized the need for arms control and the reduction of weapon systems, but he kept his distance from pacifist aspirations.
The GDR correspondent for the Evangelical Press Service, Peter Wensierski, was there with a small camera team in the Lutherhof. A few weeks later, his film report was broadcast on ARD. In 1985, Wensierski was banned from entering and working by the GDR. His report made the Wittenberg action “Swords to Plowshares” known in the Federal Republic.
Stefan Nau
Stefan Nau was a blacksmith in Wittenberg. According to his own statement, he brought the idea for the campaign to the Wittenberg Peace Circle. Schorlemmer contributed to the initiative. At the time of the campaign, Nau was 38 years old and active as a self-employed blacksmith in Wittenberg. He had a small blacksmith's shop with an anvil and bellows , which he used for soling horses and which was used in the action.
In the months after the action at Lutherhof, the number of orders decreased and finally there were no more. Nau was facing economic ruin. After the fall of the Wall, he suspected that the State Security had had a hand in this. Stefan Nau then decided to apply for an exit visa for his family and himself in order to move to the Federal Republic. He told the MDR: “But that's when the gauntlet really started. ... I was now between the State Security and the peace movement. ”The Wittenberg Peace Circle distanced itself from Nau. His wish to leave was seen there as treason. Nau said: “Friedrich Schorlemmer tried again and again to convince me to stay in the GDR and to withdraw my application. But I didn't want any more. ”Nau is said to have even been assumed by parts of the district that he carried out the blacksmithing campaign with the sole intention of pushing ahead with his planned departure from the GDR.
The "Department of Internal Affairs" at the district council accepted his application and put him off: it could take years for an exit permit. Nau had to close his blacksmith shop. He became a plant operator at the Piesteritz Chemical Combine .
In October 1985, Stefan Nau was allowed to leave the GDR with his family. He and his family initially settled in the Swabian town of Nagold . In the first few years after his move he was able to work as a blacksmith . However, this was not economically profitable. He then worked as a plant manufacturer. Most recently he lived in a small town in Hesse. Stefan Nau died in 2011.
Web links
- Stasi media library, collection of documents: Kirchentag in Wittenberg 1983
- BStU , topic contribution: Protestants in the Cold War
Individual evidence
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from June 18, 2015 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.
- ↑ Manuscript of an SWR broadcast on the reforging campaign ; Photo of the forging operation on September 24, 1983
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from June 18, 2015 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.
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from June 18, 2015 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.
