About the project

„Eternal prisoners?“ Compensation for convicts during the Nazi period and its individual and social consequences

By focussing on the Wolfenbüttel Prison during the Nazi period, the research project „eternal prisoners?“ sheds light on a group of persecutees which up until now has barely been considered:  imprisoned and executed prisoners in the penal system during the Nazi period.

NEW EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES

The project contributes vitally to filling a research void by investigating and analysing the individual experiences regarding compensation claims and the fight for social recognition. It is planned to integrate the research topic into university curriculums and to develop and permanently offer new educational opportunities specifically designed for certain occupational groups such as prison officers and legal occupations.

INTERDISCIPLINARY AND INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGES

The cooperation between Belgian and German university students is crucial to the project. Archival research, testimonial interviews with descendants of the prisoners and the research on their estates opens up new avenues of joint biographical research regarding the topic „injustice committed during the Nazi period and compensation“.

THE WOLFENBÜTTEL PRISON MEMORIAL

The Wolfenbüttel Memorial considers itself as an internationally focussed site of remembrance and education regarding the judiciary and penal system under National Socialism. Its central task is to remember the victims of the National Socialist judiciary system, preserve historical sites, make them accessible and collect, document and convey historical knowledge.

COOPERATION PARTNERS
Institut für Braunschweigische Regionalgeschichte und Geschichtsvermittlung (IBRG)
Hogeschool VIVES, Kortrijk Belgien

Duration: 1.10.2022 – 30.09.2024