Cottbus remembers: New memorial project started at the main train station

Cottbus remembers: New memorial project started at the main train station

A significant project is taking shape in Cottbus: The Cottbus Human Rights Center has been awarded the contract for the memorial project “Cottbus: A Station of Remembrance”, which is supported as part of the nationwide funding program “MemoRails”. The aim of the project is to comprehensively examine the role of Cottbus Central Station during the Nazi era, where numerous deportations and forced labor were organized. This historic building was important during the Nazi regime as it served as the largest passenger station in Brandenburg and was a central starting point for transporting people to the extermination camps. According to niederlausitz-aktuell.de, the Deutsche Reichsbahn led transports to Auschwitz, Treblinka and Sobibor, and numerous groups were brutally exploited there.

“Cottbus: A Station of Remembrance” will include various measures. This includes the erection of a permanent memorial sign and a temporary exhibition in the station hall. This exhibition will look at individual fates and illustrate the role of the individual actors during the Nazi regime. A digital media installation is also planned that will make deportation routes, destination train stations and the names of the deportees visible. This creative preparation is intended to bring the stories of the Jewish community, the inmates of the Cottbus women's prison and the many forced laborers into focus.

A step into the future

The project also has an educational mission. It is intended to help shed light on the importance of human rights and the rule of law in today's society. Through close cooperation with municipal collections in Cottbus, the AG Stolpersteine ​​Cottbus and the Brandenburg Technical University Cottbus-Senftenberg, the memory of the victims is continued and at the same time a valuable contribution to historical enlightenment is made.

The examination of the role of train stations during the Nazi era is important not only in Cottbus, but also in general. There are numerous memorials in Germany that commemorate the victims of National Socialism. These institutions are central to remembering and reflecting on the crimes of the past. An excellent example of this are the memorial plaques in cities such as Bad Eisenkappel or Klagenfurt, which record various aspects of Holocaust history, as described on Wikipedia.

At a time when social cohesion and understanding of human rights are more important than ever, remembering the dark chapters of history is essential. Cottbus Central Station will soon become a place of remembrance - not only for the victims, but also as a warning example for future generations. It shows that remembering should have a place in our present to ensure that such atrocities are never allowed to happen again.