They're still here! – Children from forbidden relationships between Germans and prisoners of war or forced laborers

In the age of National Socialism cordial and intimate relationships between Germans and prisoners of war or forced laborers who were stigmatized as »ethnically strange« (in German »fremdvölkisch«) were strictly forbidden. Relationships between Germans and Western prisoners of war or forced laborers were also unwanted. 

But They're still here! – children being descendants from relationships of this kind. Their stories have often been a taboo for a long time. Until now they haven't got a stake in our memorial culture and have scarcely been dealt with in scientific research. 

We're going to change this! 

The project They're still here! is to create a mobile exhibition that is telling the biographies of children from these forbidden relationships. The exhibition will open for the first time on December 7, 2024 at the Sandbostel Camp Memorial.   

For information and questions, please send us an email: info@trotzdemda.de

We're looking forward to your message!

Dr. Gwendoline Cicottini, Lucy Debus, Jan Dohrmann, Andreas Ehresmann, and Juliane Rehder 
Project team They're still here! with the Sandbostel Camp Memorial

they're still here! – Children from forbidden relationships between Germans and prisoners of war or forced laborers is a project of the Sandbostel Camp Memorial sponsored by the Foundation Memory, Responsibility, and Future (EVZ Foundation) and the German Federal Ministry of Finance according to the Education Agenda NS-Injustice.

Cooperative partners are the Neuengamme Concentration Camp Memorial, the project Multi-peRSPEKTif (Denkort Bunker Valentin / Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Bremen) and the Competence Center for Teacher Training Bad Bederkesa.