Vechta remembers: The dark story of the detention center is unveiled!

Vechta remembers: The dark story of the detention center is unveiled!

Vechta, Deutschland - On May 23, 2025, an important cooperation project for researching the history of prison in Vechta was presented. The cooperation between the prison system for women in Vechta, the University of Vechta (especially the didactics of history) and the Lohne industrial museum aims to work up the history of prison between 1816 and 1945. Under the direction of Dr. Katharina Tebben, the head of the prison, and Prof. Dr. Eugen Kotte has already taken the first steps to record and categorize archive stocks that are of central importance for the planned exhibition in the Lohne industrial museum. This exhibition is planned for the end of September 2026 and will deal with the everyday life of Prisoners and the operating processes in the Vechta detention center.

Friedrich Grüterich, a former employee of the JVA, has already compiled a remarkable collection of position plans, photographs and historical objects, which have documented the everyday life and life realities of the detainees since 1816. At that time, the Franciscan monastery in Vechta was re -moved to the prison. The city of Vechta is one of the most traditional correction locations in Germany and has developed into the largest correctional location in the Oldenburg Münsterland since the 17th century, such as the Colonization facility vechta reported.

historical background of the prison system

The prison system in Germany has a long and multi -layered history, some of which begins in the 17th century when the first prison was founded. These served not only to serve punishments, but also to accommodate unpleasant fellow citizens such as beggars and prostitutes. Until the introduction of the Reich Criminal Code in 1871, there were few regulations that regulated the duration and dismissal of the prisoners, which often resulted in arbitrary decisions. Over the centuries, however, the conditions in the detention centers have continuously changed and developed in order to meet the requirements of society, such as the