Remember and commemorate: 80 years after the death march of the concentration camp inmates

Remember and commemorate: 80 years after the death march of the concentration camp inmates

On March 22, 2025, the city of Frankfurt is reminiscent of one of the darkest moments in German history: the 80th anniversary of the death march from KZ-Insasse from Frankfurt to Hünfeld, which began on March 24, 1945. On this day, people commemorate the suffering and death of around 360 prisoners of the "Katzbach" concentration camp, who suffered from extreme conditions during the march.

The march began on the evening of March 24, 1945, just one day after crossing the Rhine by the US armed forces. Under the strict guard protection of around 30 SS men, the prisoners were driven by numerous cities and municipalities, including Hanau, Fulda and Hünfeld. Their goal was the Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar.

The horrors of the march

of the originally 360 prisoners only survived the cruel path to Buchenwald. Tragically, 80 prisoners were shot by the SS during the march because they were exhausted or grabbed for food. As a result, some of the victims were buried at local cemeteries and at the scene. The survivors who made it to Buchenwald were later brought to Dachau. On April 29, 1945, US forces released almost 40 of them.

In memory of the tragedy, a central memorial event will take place on March 24th at 6:00 p.m. in the Paulskirche in Frankfurt. Trapping of victims will give speeches there. In addition, a wreath resolution on the forecourt in Hünfeld is planned for March 29, together with other memorial events in Fulda, Kalbach-Heubach, Gelnhausen, Maintal, Schluechtern and Wächtersbach.

memory culture and memorial days

In addition to the memorial events in Frankfurt, the commemoration for the victims of National Socialism will take place on January 27, 2025, which marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp through the Red Army. This day was proclaimed in 1996 by Federal President Roman Herzog on the national day of commemoration and has been committed to a commemoration in Koblenz since 1998. In 2005, the UN declared January 27th the international day of commemoration to the victims of the Holocaust.

In Koblenz, the commemoration day is increasingly supplemented by exhibitions; For example, the exhibition "It was a trip through hell" is shown, the biographies of 23 Nazi victims from the region presented. Auschwitz, a license plate for inhumanity and genocide, is the focus of the culture of remembrance, since about 1.1 million people were murdered there.

A recently carried out survey shows that 47% of 14 to 16 years of life have difficulty classifying the term “Auschwitz”, which increases the need to actively preserve our culture of remembrance.

The discussion about memory of the victims of National Socialism continues. Learning content becomes increasingly relevant in schools, given the time distance to the events. The focus is on the change in democratic culture of remembrance in order to bring the history of victims closer to younger generations and to connect them with current issues such as political participation and democracy. Engagement of initiatives such as the support association Memorial for the victims of National Socialism plays an important role in this.