- Younger Individuals are Frequenting Historical Memorials
The Saxony-Anhalt Memorials Foundation, managing seven sites across the state, saw approximately 152,000 visitors last year, recalling the atrocities of the Nazi period and the severe abuse of human rights during the SED regime. Kai Langer, the foundation's director, stated in Magdeburg that although they haven't quite reached pre-pandemic figures, visitor numbers are on the rise. At their best, the memorials collectively attracted around 200,000 visitors annually. Individual visitor totals, however, have yet to be reached.
The most regarded memorial, the Marienborn Memorial to the German Division, registered around 104,000 visitors last year. The Magdeburg Memorial on Moritzplatz and the Halle Memorial at the Red Ox both welcomed around 10,000 and 11,000 visitors, respectively. A larger audience was engaged through external activities.
According to Langer, school groups are once again frequent visitors. He revealed that they're almost fully booked with school visits. Easy-to-reach memorials, such as the one dedicated to the Nazi "euthanasia" victims in Bernburg, see the most visitors. The teams working at the sites have gone through some changes. Some retirees left, allowing younger staff to speak to visitors in a more innovative manner. They've been exploring fresh methods, like motion comics, digital animated stories incorporating text and sound, to bridge the gap between history and the present.
The state political education center funds school trips to memorials. As reported by a spokesperson, the number of such trips has exceeded pre-pandemic levels, with 149 trips in Saxony-Anhalt and beyond last year. This included well-known sites such as Buchenwald, Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Theresienstadt.
The anticipated rise in visitor numbers is set to continue in 2022. As of August 21, the state political education center has granted approval for 189 school trips to memorials in Saxony-Anhalt and beyond for the year 2024, with more applications still being accepted.
Maik Reichel, director of the state political education center, noted: "This demonstrates that our long-term strategy with the Saxony-Anhalt Memorials Foundation is successful. Recently, we even had to release additional funds to help as many schools as possible visit these genuine historical locations. The initial funds provided were insufficient."
The Saxony-Anhalt Memorials Foundation's success in engaging young visitors and employing innovative methods to bridge the gap between history and the present is a testament to the ongoing importance of the 'Culture of Memory'. The rise in school trips to memorials, surpassing pre-pandemic levels, indicates a growing interest and understanding of the atrocities of the past, preserving this 'Culture of Memory' for future generations.
