Educational trip to Weimar
Last week, we held our first educational trip to sit apart forced labour under National Socialism, with a particular focus on how historical responsibility can be lived out in today's professional life.
In cooperation with the Museum of Forced Labour and the GSI–Gustav Stresemann Institute. A total of 16 participants from different professional backgrounds took part in the educational trip, including representatives from DAX companies, associations, the social sector and academia.
The educational trip included visits to key sites of remembrance and historical-political education in Weimar and Erfurt. The participants engaged intensively with the museum's exhibition ‘Forced Labour under National Socialism’. Historical contexts were analysed and individual approaches to Nazi history and questions of value orientation in professional conduct were discussed.
The examination of history was not seen as an end in itself, but rather as a starting point for active social engagement:
‘Studying history is not an end in itself; rather, we should learn from it and develop our own activities for democracy.’
To explore the role of companies in National Socialism in greater depth, the group visited the Topf & Söhne memorial site in Erfurt. The exhibition there and biographical case studies enabled a nuanced view of corporate responsibility in a historical context.
A supplementary workshop on the history of I.G. Farben gave participants the opportunity to examine economic developments and their links to the Nazi regime using archive sources from the Bayer Archive. The event concluded with a visit to the Buchenwald Memorial. During a tour of the grounds, the history of the camp and the connections between companies and the urban population of Weimar were discussed. In addition, current challenges for memorial sites, particularly with regard to political influence and attacks on remembrance of culture work, were critically reflected upon.
A key finding of the educational trip was the realisation that historical responsibility has a lasting effect and must be actively shaped:
‘What will I take with me for the future? Never again is forever. Understanding the context and applying it to the future, as well as strengthening the culture of remembrance.’
The educational programme is to be repeated and is aimed specifically at working professionals. Further information will follow when the next date is announced.
