The Waldfriedhof memorial and the Allied Cemetery Trutzhain

After the German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, prisoner of war camps (Stalags) were set up throughout the German Reich. Stalag IX A Ziegenhain was the largest POW camp on the territory of present-day Hesse. Prisoners of war from various nations were interned here until 1945. From November 1941, Soviet POWs were held in a separate area of the camp, known as the “Russian camp”.

From March 1945 to the summer of 1946, the US Army established Civilian Internment Camp 95 in the former Stalag, which was then used as a Displaced Persons camp until November 1947. Two cemeteries near the site of the former camp bear witness to this eventful history.

The history of the Trutzhain camp and its two cemeteries offers many points of reference for engaging with the history of Nazi era and the Second World War.

The project “Graves Tell Hi/Stories” is offered by the Trutzhain Memorial and Museum in cooperation with the German War Graves Commission for students from the age of 14.

Participants explore the cemeteries through an interactive search for traces with question sheets. Group work is then used to explore different aspects of the content in more detail. The project day ends with a presentation of the results to the whole group and a common discussion and reflection. The project also offers the opportunity to explore the following topics Nazi ideology and racism, wartime imprisonment, forced labour, the culture of remembrance and coming to terms with the past, historical revisionism and right-wing extremism.

The project day lasts approximately five hours and is suitable for groups of up to 35 people.