Neuruppin pupils shine: national winner at the history competition!

Neuruppin pupils shine: national winner at the history competition!

In an impressive performance, eight twelve graders of the Evangelical School Neuruppin won the Federal President's history competition. Your video entitled "Limits! Come on?" deals in detail with the topic of wall construction and the fall of the Berlin Wall and shows interviews with grandparents who share their experiences in this eventful time. According to Maz-online.de was interviewed the grandma of Jette Pinetzki, who lived on the east side of the Berlin Wall. Behind this project is Simon Spill, a research assistant in the Brandenburg-Prussia Museum, who supported the students in their research.

The video, which is over twelve minutes long, is not only used as a competitive submission, but also in the school's history lessons. The historical competition, which has been carried out by the Körber Foundation since 1973, aims to promote historical awareness among young people. This year there were a total of 74 contributions in Brandenburg, even 2289 throughout Germany, which is a new record.

a review of the participating

The Evangelical School Neuruppin has already emerged four times as a national winner in the past, but the federal victory has so far been left out. The national winners will be awarded in Potsdam at the end of September, while federal prices will be awarded on November 11th in Bellevue Castle. A prize money of 500 euros for the national winners is intended for how it is to be used.

The topic of history competition across borders is not only historical, but also currently important. Steffen Mau, professor of macrosociology at the Humboldt University in Berlin, offers a lively example of the boundaries. He reflects that despite the perception of border openings through European integration and globalization, there are more borders worldwide than in 1990. Mau criticizes the increasing number of border barriers and emphasizes the need for human border regulation. "Today, borders act more than ever than sorting machines that enable or deny access for certain people," he explains. Mau talks about the constant differences in mentalities and traditions that exist between East and West Germany, as well as the continuing social inequalities.

borders and their importance

The question of the role of limits in social coexistence remains central. Mau emphasizes that social limits generate inequalities by denying certain people access to resources. This is particularly evident in children and adolescents who are often faced with territorial limits and unequal treatment, especially when traveling. The historical competition emphasizes to look at these questions not only historically, but also in the current context.

The discussion of the topic of the Wall, which found its crucial highlight on November 9, 1989, remains unforgettable. Historians and contemporary witnesses report on the experiences and the spirit of optimism that lay in the air. The dismantling of the border fence between Hungary and Austria in May 1989 was a turning point that started many developments, as well as bpb.de documented. An important aspect is that the opening of the wall overcame not only physical but also symbolic limits and paved the way for a new, common future.

The history contest and the associated projects are an excellent way to keep historical knowledge alive and to sensitize the younger generations to the topics of limits and their effects. While the students in Neuruppin now harvest the fruits of their work, the memory of the wall and the associated challenges remains alive - for the future and the coming generations.