Strong sign against forgetting: ju is commemorating the GDR victim

Strong sign against forgetting: ju is commemorating the GDR victim

Point Alpha, Geisa, Deutschland - On June 17, 1953, a popular uprising broke out in the GDR, which called the brutal oppression of civil rights into the awareness of the world. On the occasion of this historic day, a wreath of the Junge Union (JU) took place at the Birkreuz of the Point Alpha Memorial in Rasdorf/Geisa. The event not only had the goal of remembering the victims of the dictatorship, but also emphasizing the future importance of these events. The JU district associations from the district of Fulda and the Wartburg district were represented in large numbers, including the newly founded JU Association Hessian bowling game with their chairman Finn Nattmann.

The speakers, Manuel Holzhauer and Alexander Kluge, impressively described the protests from 1953 and their cruel suppression by the ruling SED regime. Local sizes also took part in memory of the victims, including Christian Hirte (CDU Thuringia) and Dana Hauke, the mayor of Eiterfeld. These personalities reported personal experiences and political experiences that they had had in the shadow of the Iron Curtain. The call to continue the tradition of clarifying freedom and democracy echoed through the ranks of those present.

The Point Alpha

The Point Alpha memorial extends over an area of ​​almost 100,000 square meters along the former inner German border. Your historical background is as exciting as it is instructive. In the "House on the Border", visitors can experience a permanent exhibition on the GDR border regime and its effects on life in the restricted area. The multimedia review with the exhibition "Freedoms!" The peaceful revolution of 1989 and its great importance for the reunification of Germany.

The memorial is not only used for memory, but also of education. Guided tours, contemporary witness talks and workshops are offered for school classes. Adults can also register for tours and special events and spend the night in a youth camp while exploring the area. There is also the art project "Way of Hope", which is reminiscent of the resistance to communist dictatorships, as well as the nature conservation project "Green Band", which preserves nature around the border facilities.

historical review of German division

The events of 1989 around the peaceful revolution have irrevocably changed the division of Germany. Mikhail Gorbachev initiated extensive reforms in the Soviet Union and thereby created freedom for other countries in the Warsaw Pact. The fall of the wall on November 9, 1989 was only part of the massive protests that previously started in Leipzig with demands for free elections and freedom of travel. The people in the GDR finally called for the unity of Germany under the motto "We are a people!", Which led to reunification.

The profound political changes finally culminated in the adoption of the unification contract on August 31, 1990. With the falling Iron Curtain, the path for German unity was paved on October 3, 1990, and a new chapter in German history was opened. "Freedom, peace and democracy" are not only empty words, but values ​​that have to be defended, as was made clear on this day in Rasdorf.

The birch cross, which was set up in 1976 as a memorial for an attempt to escape, remains a strong symbol against forgetting. The call to the continuation of the tradition in the Point Alpha memorial is still of great importance to pass on the teachings from history and to preserve the values ​​of freedom and democracy.

For the coming generations, it is essential to deal with this story and keep the memory awake. So that we not only honor the past, but also create the prerequisites for a better future.