Fixed, history and future: Sachsenhausen celebrates 120 years of men's choir!

Fixed, history and future: Sachsenhausen celebrates 120 years of men's choir!

Straße der Nationen 22, 16515 Oranienburg, Deutschland - In Sachsenhausen there is a party! From July 11th to 13th, 2025, the local festival is on the program, on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the men's choir Quartet Friends Sachsenhausen. Burkhard Wilde, the mayor, has initiated everything and hopes that the weather will play along. The marquee will be opened on the outdoor area of the future village community center on Clara-Zetkin-Straße 17a. A colorful program for young and old is offered here, and the anticipation is noticeable among many in the neighborhood. Volunteers such as Robert Bergmann and Ronny Stöwe actively support the preparations, while Wolfgang Schmidt takes care of the technical needs and builds up the stage.

In the middle of the festive activities, a service will take place in the marquee on Sunday morning. Particular attention is paid to the church in Sachsenhausen, which was built in 1914 and plays an important historical role. Helmut Quade, the chairman of the community church council since 1989, will talk about the political attitude of the community during National Socialism, while an exhibition in the anteroom of the church visually takes up these topics.

historical insights and commemoration

The Sachsenhausen memorial attracts up to 750,000 visitors every year. It is not only a place of memory, but also reflection. The permanent exhibition "The City and the Lager" addresses the dark history of the place with eight hearing and visual stations. Here, among other things, the paths of the prisoners, the forced labor and the resistance of the confessing community are highlighted. The focus is particularly on the presence of the concentration camp prisoners in the city and the pogrom-like conditions when they arrive in 1939, as reported on the website of Sachsenhausen sachsenhausen-sbg.de

The memorial looks back on a long history: in 1933/34 Sachsenhausen was a key location in the persecution of the opposition, and the concentration camp, which was built in 1936, played a central role in the Nazi terror. Not only were politically persecuted here, but from 1939 people from all over Europe were deported. From 1942, many prisoners had to do forced labor in over a hundred external camps, as the Federal Center for Political Education bpb.de

a congregation in change

The Sachsenhausen district is currently experiencing a generation change: older residents give up their houses, while younger entries celebrate and bring a breath of fresh air to the neighborhood. Angela Strobel, a resident based for 17 years, emphasizes the high quality of life of the district, which is shaped by good shopping, schools and transport connections, among other things.

Another major project in the region is the planned new building of the Friedenthal lock, the completion of which is planned for 2027. In this context, Burkhard Wilde emphasizes that the renovation of the village community center is also urgently necessary. His application for the renovation, part of a 29-point list, will be on the vote on July 21st.

The upcoming village festival is not only a highlight in the annual calendar of Sachsenhausen, but also occasion to bring the community closer together and to look back on the eventful history of the place. For the organizers and the residents, it is clear: there is a lot to celebrate in Sachsenhausen!