REMEMBRANCE CONNECTS

ODER-WARTA REGION

Author: Dirk R

  • Living places of remembrance

    Living places of remembrance

    Networking of German-police memorial sites for the victims of National Socialist tyranny, especially Nazi murders of the sick; development of educational and memorial tourism programmes

    Interreg VI A funding project 2026-2028

    The project is concerned with the reappraisal, visualisation and networking of the „History of the Nazi murders of the sick“ in Międzyrzecz, Berlin and Ueckermünde and the „Traces of Jewish life“ in Seelow, Międzyrzecz, Berlin and Ueckermünde.

    In cross-border cooperation, the project partners are revitalising or re-establishing nationally significant places of remembrance, equipping them with digital exhibitions and linking them thematically with each other. In addition to sustainable investments in the expansion of the places of remembrance, the development of cross-border educational tourism offers is a project focus, with inclusive elements and the involvement of relevant target groups.

    The aim is to improve access to the places of remembrance involved and thus to the shared history of the German-Polish border region, which is unique in the context of the end of the Second World War and the westward shift of Poland.

    Key project outputs

    „History of the Nazi murders of the sick“

    • Cross-border measures for knowledge exchange and networking,
    • Revitalisation of the Międzyrzecz-Obrzyce cemetery and memorial,
    • Design and construction of a contemplation garden on the Międzyrzecz clinic grounds
      Obrzyce as part of a German-Polish youth project with trainees from gardening and landscaping companies in Berlin and Międzyrzecz,

      Development of an exhibition on the history of Nazi hospital murders in Ueckermünde in the AMEOS Clinic,
    • Development and linking of new and existing digital exhibitions on the history of the Nazi murders in Międzyrzecz-Obrzyce and Ueckermünde, Polish translation and linking of the „Totgeschwiegen“ exhibition in Berlin,
    • Development of target group-orientated modules for educational tourism on the history of the Nazi murders of the sick at the project partners, networked in terms of content and for cross-border marketing.

    „Traces of Jewish life“

    • Cross-border measures for knowledge exchange and networking,
    • Construction of a new memorial and meeting place „former Jewish cemetery Seelow“ at the former original site,
    • Development of four circular routes with digital elements on traces of Jewish life in Seelow, Międzyrzecz, Ueckermünde and Berlin-Charlottenburg,
    • Development of target group-orientated modules for educational tourism on traces of Jewish life at the project partners, networked in terms of content and for cross-border marketing.

    In this way, the project meets the common challenge of improving mutual access to cultural heritage and to the tourist and cultural offerings in the assisted area and utilising the opportunities offered by culture and tourism to expand cross-border links.

    The „Remembrance connects“ network provides a suitable framework for networking and disseminating the project's new educational tourism programmes. The project takes up the strategy of the multi-perspective remembrance landscape Oder-Warthe and consolidates the cross-border educational tourism offer for the significant era of the Second World War in the region.

    Historical context

    The cross-border approach and the need to involve partners outside the funding area arise from the distribution and role of the Nazi perpetrator sites in the former Reich territory. People with mental disabilities were isolated in the former clinic in Berlin, selected and deported to the sanatorium in Meseritz-Obrawalde, where around 10,000 people were murdered. A crematorium for the extermination of Nazi victims was set up and trialled for the first time on a hospital site at the Ueckermünde State Sanatorium. In line with the small number and distribution of today's memorials to the complex of Nazi hospital murders, there is a need to utilise previously untapped potential for remembrance work (Międzyrzecz, Ueckermünde) and to make it possible to experience history in context.

    Preserving the traces of Jewish life is also an important task of German political remembrance work. Jews were repeatedly subjected to persecution and expulsion, most recently during the Nazi era, when the National Socialists systematically expelled and exterminated the entire Jewish population.

    The forced migration of the population in connection with the westward shift of Poland as well as politically and ideologically driven cultures of remembrance in the former GDR and the People's Republic of Poland led to the neglect of many Jewish sites such as cemeteries and synagogues. There is a need to preserve traces and make history tangible across borders. The existing knowledge and experience of the project partners as well as locations and networks outside of the funded area are utilised and linked in order to achieve positive effects in the funded area.

    Project partners

    • Municipality of Międzyrzecz (Lead Partner)
    • Marshal's Office of the Lubuskie Voivodeship, Department of Geodesy, Real Estate Management and Spatial Planning - Subdepartment of Spatial Planning
    • Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district of Berlin
    • City of Seelow (Mark)
    • Town of Seebad Ueckermünde
    • Rostock University Medical Centre
    • Brandenburg Memorials Foundation, Memorial to the Victims of the Euthanasia Murders (associated partner)

    Project duration:          01.01.2026 - 31.12.2028

    Next activities

    • September/October 2026, Berlin: Trainee Project Week 1 with workshops „Nazi Medical Murders“ and „Inclusion“
    • October 2026, Brandenburg: Expert workshop „Educational Tourism with People with Disabilities“
    • Nov. 2026, Seelow: Workshop „Traces of Jewish Life“

    Project News

  • Cultural land traces Lebus

    Cultural land traces Lebus

    Capitalising on the history of the shared cultural landscape for cross-border inclusive nature and educational tourism

    Interreg VI A funding project 2025-2028

    People have been shaping, cultivating and moulding the Oder-Warthe region for centuries. The resulting cultural landscape is a reflection of the needs, values and traditions of our society. The project aims to tell the common history of the Oder-Warthe region through its cultural landscape, interactively and from different perspectives.

    The historical development of cultivation methods and processes forms an important part of our shared history and cultural identity, traces of which can be found in the landscape, in traditional forms of cultivation, dishes, natural products and much more on both sides of today's border. Making the cross-border cultural landscape tangible therefore offers great potential for understanding our common past, strengthening awareness of our shared cultural heritage and regional identity and developing a shared sense of responsibility for the future design and utilisation of the landscape.

    The project contributes to improving mutual access to the natural and cultural heritage and to tourist and cultural offers at 6 locations by developing new interactive experience stations and networking them across borders. The new brand Kulturland Spuren Lebus (working title) is part of the tourism brand „Erinnerung verbindet“ Oder-Warthe.

    The planned experience stations are: 

    • Słońsk (PL):       
      The work of the Order of St John in shaping the cultural landscape,
    • Kienitz:                
      History of park landscape design using the example of the Kienitz estate park,
    • Kostrzyn nad Odrą (PL):
      The influence of the military on the development of the cultural landscape using the example of Küstrin Fortress,
    • Buckow (DE):
      Rich in wildlife - history of forest utilisation (wild herbs, mushrooms, forest fruits and co.),
    • Seelow (DE):
      Cultivated land use today (sustainable agriculture, renewable energies, landscape conservation),
    • Schweizerhaus Seelow (DE):
      Nature discovery park on the history of regional crops.

    Nature and learning trails are created at each location. Participatory approaches with analogue and digital elements in several languages and in simple language enable knowledge transfer on different levels. Visitors experience cultural history and shared traditions at different locations and from different perspectives in an active form. They can make traditional products or actively protect the environment. A particular focus is on communicating sustainable strategies and methods for preserving the diversity of the cultural landscape and the consequences of human misbehaviour on the climate and the environment.

    Project partner:

    • Municipality of Słońsk (PL), lead partner
    • City of Seelow (Mark)
    • City of Kostrzyn nad Odrą
    • Municipality of Letschin
    • Märkische Schweiz Nature Conservation Park Association.
    • Heimatverein „Schweizerhaus Seelow“ e.V.
    • Warta Estuary National Park (associated partner)
    • Märkische Schweiz Nature Park (associated partner)

    Project duration:           01.09.2025 - 31.08.2028

    project events

  • Symposium "Expulsion, Forced Migration, Loss of Culture 1945 in the Oder-Warthe Region"

    Symposium "Expulsion, Forced Migration, Loss of Culture 1945 in the Oder-Warthe Region"

    5 November 2025, Kulturhaus Küstriner Vorland (DE)

    The symposium „Expulsion, Forced Migration, Loss of Culture 1945 in the Oder-Warthe Region“ focussed on the complex German-Polish history in the border region, particularly after the Second World War. It opened up a space for German-Polish dialogue about the profound upheavals of 1945.

    The region exemplifies forced migration, loss and new beginnings, the after-effects of which can still be felt today. Here, memory is understood as a relationship - open, multi-perspective and in dialogue. The aim is not a ready-made narrative, but a responsible narrative that combines science and personal experience, involves young people and builds bridges between research, education and the public.

    The „Remembrance connects“ funding project creates a cross-border network that makes historical sites visible and preserves traces. In this way, remembrance becomes a process that opens up horizons, enables understanding and shapes the future.

    Programme:

    Opening:

    Robert Nitz

    Mayor of Seelow (Mark)

    „Preserving history – shaping the future: Welcome to the symposium in the Oder-Warthe region“

    The welcoming speech emphasises the importance of the symposium as part of the German-Polish project „Memory Connects“, honours the shared history and highlights the responsibility to actively address the issues of expulsion, forced migration and cultural loss. Mr Nitz underscores the relevance of remembrance culture for the present and future, calls for dialogue and cooperation, and urges us to learn from history in order to achieve peaceful coexistence in Europe.

    Dirk Röder

    City of Seelow (Mark)

    Opening speech at the symposium „Expulsion, forced migration, cultural loss in 1945 in the Oder-Warthe region“

    It is emphasised that remembrance is a living, communal process. It requires courage, respect and openness, and thrives on diversity and dialogue. The symposium „Remembrance Connects“ promotes the exchange of different experiences and perspectives in order to build bridges between generations and disciplines. The aim is not to create a finished narrative, but rather an open, responsible account of the past.

    Panel I: Historical classification

    Przemysław Słowiński

    Jakub von Paradyż Academy

    Population changes in the German-Polish border region after the Second World War. History. Politics. Semantics.

    The Second World War was a defining event in human history. It led to numerous changes around the world. There is no doubt that responsibility for this armed conflict lay with the German state, and the crimes committed by the Third Reich, which led to the deaths of millions of people in Poland and other countries, to an enormous amount of physical and mental suffering, and to material destruction on an unprecedented scale, have had repercussions that are still felt today.

    Reinhard Schmook

    Oderland Museum Bad Freienwalde

    Flight and expulsion in the Oder-Warthe region using the example of Königsberg/Nm. (Chojna)

    The speech deals with the topic of flight and expulsion in the Oder-Warthe region using the example of the district town of Königsberg/Neumark. The rapid approach of the Red Army at the end of January/beginning of February 1945 led to chaotic conditions here, because the party authorities prevented an orderly evacuation of the town until the very end. What then happened in Königsberg from 4 April to 23 June 1945 is described by the local second pastor Fritz Bliedner. He was a member of the Confessing Church, an opposition movement of Protestant Christians against attempts to bring the doctrine and organisation of the German Protestant Church into line with National Socialism. The entries in his diary are both credible and illuminating, allowing us to form a picture of the terrible events between the invasion of the Red Army and the expulsion of the city's population. They reflect death and destruction, the suffering of the remaining inhabitants and, finally, the extensive destruction of the town with its medieval monuments.      

    Ryszard Skalba

    Museum of the Kostrzyn Fortress

    The pioneering years of Kostrzyn in Poland

    In mid-1945, Küstrin's Old Town and New Town were among the most destroyed towns in the former German Reich. The expulsion of the German inhabitants paved the way for Polish settlers, and the town was given a new name - Kostrzyn. The first settlers were mainly railway workers and customs officials who were supposed to ensure the functioning of the basic transport and border structures. Over time, they were joined by labourers who worked on the reconstruction of the pulp and paper mill, which revived economic life.

    Kostrzyn developed on the site of the former New Town, constructing new buildings and facilities from scratch. Offices, schools and workplaces were gradually established and the town increasingly gained its Polish character.

    Tim Müller

    Eigenbetrieb Kulturbetriebe Frankfurt (Oder) Viadrina Municipal Museum

    The lost museum. The Frankfurt Oderland Museum in the former Lienauhaus

    The fate of the Frankfurt City Museum's collection is traced using historical archive sources and eyewitness accounts. While important art objects were secured by Prof. Dr. Karpa in March 1945 and presumably taken out of the country, less valuable exhibits were left behind and were largely destroyed. The whereabouts of key pieces in the collection remain unclear; it is possible that they are stored in Potsdam or in Russian museums. This means that there is still hope that items believed to be lost can still be found. Intensive research is still required to clarify the whereabouts of the Frankfurt collection.

    Agnieszka Lindenhayn-Fiedorowicz

    Eigenbetrieb Kulturbetriebe Frankfurt (Oder) Viadrina Municipal Museum

    A Cranach in the provinces - and his fate after 1945

    The Neudamm Altarpiece from the workshop of Lucas Cranach the Younger was one of the most important Renaissance retables in the Oder region. Donated in 1562 by Duchess Katharina von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel for the town church in Neudamm (Dębno), it was transferred to the village church in Nabern (Oborzany) after the church was rebuilt in 1852. Its post-war fate is exemplary for the loss of movable cultural assets in the Oder-Warthe region. The destruction caused by the war, the passage of the Red Army and the subsequent population movements led to the destruction, looting or devaluation of numerous church furnishings. The population exchange was accompanied by a change of denomination: the newly settled Catholic Poles were often indifferent or hostile to Protestant art. As a result, the Neudammer Altar was dismantled in the 1950s and banished to the attic, where it suffered severe damage and fell into oblivion. It was not until 1998 that it was rediscovered by a regional historian, badly damaged and incomplete. In 2002, it was taken away for restoration - not to a specialised workshop, but to the private workshop of the diocesan conservator in Szczecin. As the altar was not entered in the list of monuments after 1945, it is still not subject to state protection. The lecture takes this work as a case study to visualise the complex post-war fates of works of art in the region: between war destruction, confessional alienation, neglect and uncertain preservation.

    Henriette Brendler

    Frankfurt (Oder)

    Saved, lost, returned: the medieval choir windows of St Mary's in Frankfurt (Oder)

    The three late Gothic choir windows of St Mary's Church in Frankfurt (Oder) are not called a glass treasure without good reason. Nowhere else in Brandenburg is there a comparable collection of medieval stained glass; the Antichrist window is even considered unique. The article focusses on the fate of the Frankfurt Picture Bible during the Second World War, the handling of this subject in the GDR and the long journey from rediscovery to repatriation and restoration.

    Marek Karolczak

    Myślibórz

    Material losses of cultural heritage using the example of the municipality of Myślibórz (Soldin)

    The lecture describes the situation in Soldin/Myślibórz in February 1945 after the invasion of the Soviet army and presents preserved documents from the collections of the Museum of the Myślibórz Lake District in Myślibórz. They show the fate of the exhibits that were in the collections of the Regional Museum - Museum of Local History of the Soldin District, which existed from 1928 to 1945.

    Christian Hirte

    Museum Lebuser Land Müncheberg

    The loss of inventory in the Museum Lebuser Land Müncheberg 1945 ff.

    Lunch break
    and tour of the Museum in the Kulturhaus Küstrin-Kietz under the professional supervision of the Association for the History of Küstrin e.V.

    Panel II: Local perspectives - cultural loss - cultural appropriation?

    Kamila Pałubicka

    Kulturerben e.V.

    Artistic-creative history mediation using the example of the Martyrium Museum Słońsk (Sonnenburg)

    The town of Słońsk (formerly Sonnenburg) is a prime example of the difficult legacy of National Socialism. One of the first concentration camps was located here, where numerous political prisoners from all over Europe were imprisoned. In the final phase of the Second World War, more than 800 prisoners fell victim to a planned massacre. Dealing with this historical legacy and remembering the victims remains a central social task.

    The Kulturerben e.V. association has been working with German-Polish youth groups for over ten years on innovative artistic approaches to this difficult chapter of European history. In various projects, performative, media and participatory approaches have been trialled that enable young people to actively engage with the culture of remembrance and develop their own forms of expression.

    As part of the current workshops, we combine historical knowledge transfer with artistic and creative methods. After a guided tour of the central places of remembrance in Słońsk and a visit to the museum memorial, the young people work independently in German-Polish teams to create lay films. This technique allows them to combine images, symbols and texts and condense their reflections on the history of Sonnenburg into short film sequences. The work is complemented by spoken word texts and audio recordings, which are incorporated into a joint performance for the memorial service.

    The result is a multi-layered, transnational approach to the culture of remembrance that combines historical facts with creative self-activity and enables young people to experience themselves as active shapers of a living European culture of remembrance.

    Thomas Drewing

    History and local history association Gusow-Platkow e.V.

    New museums - the approach of the next generation


    A conference volume will be produced, which will contain additional specialist contributions:

    Friedrich Adolph Baron von Dellingshausen

    Bailiwick of Brandenburg of the Order of St John

    Sonnenburg – 500 years as the centre of the Balley Brandenburg of the Knightly Order of St. John of the Hospital
    to Jerusalem

    The Order of St John has shaped and developed the Oder-Warthe region like no other over the centuries. Against the backdrop of the events surrounding 1945, the text shows how the Order of St John responded to the consequences of these historical upheavals. The recovery of lost works of art, the preservation of archival materials, and investments and activities aimed at preserving historical buildings are symbolic of the efforts to recover lost cultural assets and create a shared space of remembrance. The initiatives for tourist and cultural revitalisation in cooperation with Polish partners are an expression of the will to overcome the ruptures of the past and promote cross-border dialogue on the shared heritage of the region. The Order of St John's commitment thus documents not only the preservation of objects, but also the attempt to preserve and jointly reshape identity and continuity in the face of loss and change.

    Andrzej Kirmiel

    Alf Kowalski Międzyrzecz Museum in Międzyrzecz

    Międzyrzecz and the Międzyrzecz Land 1933-1947 in the face of great changes

    The article presents the history of the inhabitants of Międzyrzecz and the Międzyrzecz region in the years 1933-1947 from the perspective of national changes. The author describes the process that led to the destruction of the multi-ethnic structure of the city that had developed over centuries. He reports on the history of the Jewish community of Międzyrzecz, which was the first to disappear from the ethnic landscape, and describes the further population shifts, this time after the end of the Second World War. At that time, the German inhabitants of the town and the neighbouring villages had to leave their homes. What remained were the locals, the Polish population, who spoke little or no Polish and with whom the new rulers did not really know what to do. In the end, they were treated like foreigners who expressed their desire to remain in Poland and were subjected to the same scrutiny. The final part of the national changes in the area between the Międzyrzecz and Wisła rivers was the influx of people from central and eastern Poland, as well as Ukrainians and Lemkos from south-east Poland, who had been expelled from their homeland as part of the „Wisła” campaign, which began in 1947.

    Such mass resettlements lead to a situation in which ethnically foreign population groups arrive in areas where there are no longer any former inhabitants, but everything around them bears witness to their long-standing presence. The author describes what happened to the material culture of the communities that lived in Międzyrzecz and the neighbouring villages until 1945.

    Andy Steinhauf

    Association for the History of Küstrin e.V.

    The Küstrin / Alt-Drewitz reception camp 1945

    The article examines the establishment and brief existence of the Küstrin/Alt-Drewitz reception camp in autumn 1945. Following the order of the Soviet military administration to control the refugee convoys, the camp was set up as a central transit point for displaced persons. Despite massive destruction and a lack of infrastructure, up to 30,000 people had to be accommodated there at times. Reports describe chaotic conditions, inadequate medical care, assaults and logistical problems such as the „wagon crisis“. Between October and December 1945, over 52,000 people passed through the camp before it was closed down due to untenable conditions and conflicts with the local population. The reception camp is a prime example of the challenges of the post-war period and the precarious situation of displaced persons in the Soviet occupation zone.

    Katarzyna Sztuba-Frąckowiak

    Alf Kowalski Międzyrzecz Museum in Międzyrzecz

    The coexistence of Germans and Russians on the estates of the Obrawalde State Hospital after the Red Army marched in in 1945, as recalled by Dorothea Neuss from Meseritz.

    The article is about Germans who, together with Soviet soldiers, managed two institutional estates between Obrawalde and Meseritz. Their joint commander was the Ukrainian Sergeant Borodauku, who, during the expulsions, brought all his German estate workers safely across the Oder to their new home. It discusses their harmonious cooperation in the production of food for the Soviet units. It also addresses the relationship between the Germans from the institutional estates and the Polish and Soviet authorities in Międzyrzecz.

    Dietmar Zimmermann

    New Hardenberg

    Neu Hardenberg becomes Marxwalde

    The article sheds light on the eventful history of the place names of Neuhardenberg, from Quilitz to Neu Hardenberg to Marxwalde and back again. Particular attention is paid to the renaming to Marxwalde in 1949, the background to this, political influences and the role of the local council, as well as the significance of Karl Marx, which are traced on the basis of minutes and contemporary documents. The events show how political changes shape local identities.

    We would like to thank our host at the Kulturhaus Küstrin-Kietz, our project partners and speakers, our interpreters, our photographer Mr Ahrendt and our film team from Parkosmedia. We would also like to thank our sponsor and the active participants of the symposium.

    Images ©Town of Seelow, photos by Klaus Ahrendt

  • Specialist workshop "Expulsion, forced migration, loss of culture in 1945 in the Oder-Warthe region"

    Specialist workshop "Expulsion, forced migration, loss of culture in 1945 in the Oder-Warthe region"

    25 June 2025, Cultural Centre of the Municipality of Słońsk (PL)

    The workshop served to prepare the content of a symposium planned for the beginning of November 2025 in Küstrin-Kietz. It focussed on the complex German-Polish history in the border region, particularly after the Second World War, and discussed methods for communicating this history to younger generations. The participants, including representatives from Germany and Poland, exchanged views on various aspects such as museum work, cultural heritage and the culture of remembrance and emphasised the importance of coming to terms with the past together. Several projects and initiatives were presented that aim to promote understanding of the shared history and strengthen the German-Polish dialogue.

    On the basis of initiative presentations and experience reports, topics of remembrance were discussed in connection with the effects of the events of 1945 on the population on both sides of the Oder, including the westward shift of Poland, flight, expulsion, forced migration, ideology-based changes in German and Polish cultures of remembrance, loss of culture, interpretation today - lessons for tomorrow.  

    In the stimulating discussion that followed, various perspectives and topics were added, including

    • Looted artefacts from all over Poland in manor houses in the region
    • "scorched earth" by the Soviet army as revenge for the attack and destruction of the Nazi Germans beforehand
    • Recommendation for a dialogue between German-Polish museums to provide impetus for joint education
    • Choice of title for the symposium: a positive connotation
    • "Cultural appropriation processes"
    • Films, culture and art as tools for communicating history
    • Recommendation for 2 films on the history of the town of Landsberg (YouTube)
    • many personal stories of the participants with family roots in the region.

    The last item on the programme was a visit to the Słońsk Martyrdom Museum with a detailed guided tour by Prof. Smolinski. Here, various participants also reported on their personal experiences in conversations with contemporary witnesses in their families.

  • Fortress heritage Oder-Warthe region

    Fortress heritage Oder-Warthe region

    Europe has a rich and varied fortress architecture. It represents the European history of various eras and is an excellent basis for exciting cultural tourism.

    The European Cultural Route for the Fortress Heritage -FORTE CULTURA– currently unites more than 80 stations in 17 countries. It was founded in 2014 in Kostrzyn nad Odra (Küstrin Fortress).

    The Oder-Warthe region is also home to numerous fortified monuments waiting to be conquered. These include medieval castles, fortified castles, the Küstrin fortress system and bunkers and defence lines from the Second World War and the Cold War.

    Fortress map of the Oder-Warthe region, ©ECCOFORT

    Today, fortresses have lost their military functions. They are monuments full of life and culture that can be peacefully conquered by tourists. Visit concerts, festivals, re-enactments, children's parties, art exhibitions or sporting events
    in fortresses, e.g. as part of the European Fortress Summer. Learn about the history of fortresses, their builders, inhabitants and conquerors in museums and virtual worlds. Enjoy great experiences along the European Cultural Route FORTE CULTURA and especially in the Oder-Warthe region.

    On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of FORTE CULTURA, in November 2024 in Kostrzyn nad Odrą a International specialist congress with excursions took place. In addition, an information brochure on the fortress heritage of the Oder-Warthe region was published, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the INTERREG VI A Brandenburg - Poland 2021-2027 cooperation programme and the PRO EUROPA VIADRINA Euroregion small project fund.

  • Active Remembrance Youth Programme Workshop

    Active Remembrance Youth Programme Workshop

    The Active Remembrance Youth Programme (ARYP) comprises nine different youth exchange events throughout Europe. The project is organised by Liberation Route Germany and runs from 2024 to 2026. It is funded by the EU and includes partners from the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Poland, France, Italy and the Czech Republic.

    The aim of the project is to actively involve and inspire young Europeans from different backgrounds to explore and commemorate the Second World War from different perspectives. Through a series of youth encounters, participants will visit significant World War II sites across Europe and engage with history first-hand. This immersive experience encourages active learning, including conducting interviews, curating historical content and creating podcasts and videos, all of which will feed into an online exhibition.

    In October 2025, a youth exchange week took place in the Oder-Warthe region. 18 young people from all over Europe learnt about the special history of our region at locations such as Slonsk, Kostrzyn nad Odra, Seelow, Klessin and Berlin-Karlshorst. Their task was to reflect on this history in podcasts and videos, to scrutinise it in interviews and to interpret it from their own perspective.

    The youth exchange week in the German-Polish border region was organised by the Liberation Route Europe in cooperation with the Liberation Route Poland, the Liberation Route Germany and the city of Seelow, funded by the European Union. The preliminary programme and further information can be found at https://www.lre-youth.eu.

  • Expulsion, forced migration, loss of culture 1945

    Expulsion, forced migration, loss of culture 1945

    Effects of Poland's westward shift on the Oder-Warthe region

    Sub-project of the Interreg 6A project "Remembrance Connects", funded by the European Union (INTERREG VI A Brandenburg-
    Poland 2021-2027)

    The so-called westward shift of Poland is a result of the Second World War, based on the Yalta and Potsdam resolutions. It led to the relocation of Poland's borders to the west. Poland lost large parts of its eastern territory in favour of the Soviet Union and in return received former German territories in the west. This reorganisation changed the map of Central Europe and formed the basis for the profound upheavals in the Oder-Warthe region.

    This also involved the resettlement of millions, which led to a complete exchange of the population structure in the Oder-Warthe region. German residents fled or were expelled, while Poles from the eastern areas and other parts of the country were resettled in the „regained territories“. This forced migration left fractures in the culture of remembrance as well as empty archives in regional museums, churches and offices. The memory of expulsion and forced migration still characterises the collective memory of the border region today.

    In addition, the region's infrastructure was almost completely destroyed by the fierce fighting at the end of the war. New ownership structures and the need to reorganise production facilities and agricultural structures brought further far-reaching changes.

    The Remembrance Connects project deals with the complex German-Polish history in the border region. As part of the project activities, mutual knowledge and dialogue about expulsion, forced migration and the loss of culture in 1945 in the Oder-Warthe region are to be documented and promoted. Educational tourism programmes are intended to make the special history of the Oder-Warthe region and its population comprehensible.

  • 900 years of the diocese of Lebus (2025)

    900 years of the diocese of Lebus (2025)

    Sub-project of the Interreg 6A project "Remembrance Connects", funded by the European Union (INTERREG VI A Brandenburg-
    Poland 2021-2027)

    An extensive cross-border research and exhibition project has been realised at the Viadrina Municipal Museum in Frankfurt (Oder) since January 2025 in connection with the 900th anniversary of the founding of the medieval bishopric of Lebus. It is part of the Interreg project "Remembrance connects - Pamięć łączy" (BBPL0100043), which is being realised together with the city of Seelow and the municipality of Słońsk and which reappraises important chapters of German-Polish regional history across borders.

    The sub-project based at the Frankfurt City and Regional Museum is dedicated to art and architecture in the area of the historic diocese of Lubusz. German and Polish academics are currently working on recording and analysing the architectural and artistic monuments of the diocese, which once united the areas to the east and west of the middle Oder.

    The research results were presented on 12 and 13 June 2025 in a German-Polish symposium in Frankfurt's St Mary's Church presented.

    They are due to be published in a bilingual anthology in autumn 2026.

    At the same time, a German-Polish travelling exhibition is being developed at the Viadrina Museum. Its aim is to familiarise the inhabitants of the former diocese area with its eventful history and its multifaceted artistic monuments. From January 2026, the richly illustrated panel exhibition will be travelling through the historic diocese of Lubusz on both sides of the Oder and will be presented for one month at a time in 12 different German and Polish cities, including Frankfurt (Oder), Ośno Lubuskie, Kostrzyn nad Odrą, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Fürstenwalde, Zielona Góra, Lubusz, Międzyrzecz, Müncheberg, Neuzelle, Sulęcin and Witnica.

    If you are interested in exploring the history of the Diocese of Lebus at a historical site and learning more about its eventful history, we recommend this year's Culture.Landscape.Excursion organised by the Viadrina Museum. This will take place on Friday, 9 May 2025, in the former episcopal town of Lebus.

    Current information on the project "900 Years of the Diocese of Lebus" can be found on the website of the Viadrina Museum at: www.museum-viadrina.de/Kurzmenü/Projekte/

  • Villa Wagener, Kostrzyn nad Odra

    Villa Wagener, Kostrzyn nad Odra

    Villa Wagener is a former factory owner's villa, built in 19th century Küstrin by the Wagener family (machine, steam boiler and copper factory in Cüstrin-Neustadt). It was one of very few buildings to survive the heavy bombardment by the Red Army in the spring of 1945 and was subsequently used as the administrative centre of the Soviet occupying forces and later the town of Kostrzyn nad Odrą.

    Vacant since 2006, it has now been converted into a modern German-Polish communication and creative centre.

  • Seelow (Mark) railway station building

    Seelow (Mark) railway station building

    The former Seelow (Mark) railway station building is a representative functional building from the 19th century in typical railway architecture. The reception building from the German Empire has permanently lost its function, although the station on the Frankfurt (Oder) – Eberswalde line is still in operation. The metropolis of Berlin and regional memorial sites can be reached by rail. The site also serves as a stop for regional bus services, and cycling and hiking trails (E 11) pass directly by the station.

    As part of the funding project, the building was extensively renovated and converted into a history workshop with a documentation centre. On 200 barrier-free square metres on the ground floor, a modern museum-like place of learning and experience for recent regional history has been created, corresponding with the "Seelower Höhen" memorial site 300 metres away. A project flat and office and archive rooms are located on the upper floor.

    The organisation responsible for the content of the new memorial site is the Geschichts- und Heimatverein Gusow-Platkow e.V. (Gusow-Platkow History and Local History Association). The exhibition concept deals with the decisive epoch of the pre-war, war and post-war years between 1930 and 1960:

    "The exhibition focuses on the fate of a region in Brandenburg in the mid-20th century. It deals with the experience of the Nazi regime and war, flight, reconstruction and socialism. Like a magnifying glass, the exhibition examines how “big history” affected the small-scale Oder region and its inhabitants, what conditions the war found here and how it had a lasting impact. The planned exhibition offers a change of perspective compared to the established commemoration of the Battle of Seelow. The focus is on artefacts and eyewitness accounts from the region."

    The city of Seelow pursued the following primary objectives with the project approach:

    • Establishment of a history workshop focusing on the unique history of today's border region since 1930.
    • Thematic and spatial addition to the museum exhibition at the Seelow Heights Memorial and expansion of its sphere of influence
    • Establishment of a permanent exhibition and special themed exhibitions
    • Establishment of a documentation centre for further research and presentation of this period of history
    • Establishment of an office for network management for the cross-border tourism cluster ‘Remembrance connects’
    • Networking with other places of remembrance as a tourist brand and overall package for the Oder-Warta region, in particular with the communication centre in Kostrzyn nad Odra and the centre for historical education in Słońsk.
    • Sustainable change of use for a historically significant building

    In 2023, the Seelow History Station Museum (Mark) was officially opened: www.geschichtsstation-seelow.de

    Not far from the station is the Seelow Heights Memorial. The (victory) memorial to the Soviet soldier, including the war graves of his brothers in arms at his feet, provides a limited perspective for the memorial, which also contains a small museum and an exhibition of military equipment. This internationally significant site is to be expanded to include a regional perspective with the ‘History Station’ in the immediate vicinity, serving as an important addition to the ‘global view’ offered by the Seelow Heights Memorial.