The annual commemoration ceremonies for the victims of the former aircraft factory “REIMAHG” are an absolute highlight for us as an association every year and part of our work.
Preparations for the 80th anniversary of the liberation and the end of the war began a year in advance.
On May 8th, the first guests arrived, whom we warmly welcomed at a joint dinner. Even though we only see each other once a year, the friendships that have developed and grown steadily over the many years are very strong.
Prepared for a long time, we were able to welcome a special guest of honor this year, Emilia, the daughter of Dr. Christine Wiselius. She worked as a doctor in infection barrack IV at the Hummelshain company hospital of the REIMAHG. As a forced laborer, she came from Poland with her two children. Stephan, her grandson, traveled from Canada and brought Emilia from Holland to Kahla. On Friday morning, the commemorative weekend started with a visit to Hummelshain Castle. At this point, many thanks again to Rainer Hohberg for the great tour of the castle!
In the evening we welcomed our guests from Belgium, France, Holland and Canada to the Linzmühle, for a cozy, conversation-intensive get-together with a delicious dinner.
Saturday, May 10, the commemoration ceremony in Leubengrund began with a little delay. As in previous years, we received wreaths from many embassies to lay at the memorial this year. Among the unplanned speeches was that of the Belarusian embassy secretary Siarhei Sipko. However, it was special, very personal. He spoke about his grandfather, who was deported to Kahla as a forced laborer.
The subsequent commemoration ceremony took place at the Kahla cemetery, at the memorial. Afterwards, all invited guests drove to Grosseutersdorf. Here we were already expected for lunch by Mayor Jens Hild and his community. Thanks again to Jens and his hard-working helpers for this achievement!
After the lunch break, the tour continued to Eichenberg, to the former Lager E, the largest camp of the REIMAHG and to the cemetery of honor in Hummelshain. The 200 deceased of the hospital were buried here. Both municipalities had prepared everything very well. Our club members also laid embassy wreaths at both memorials. For the numerous foreign guests, it was a day with many emotions.
Unfortunately, as was customary in the past, no representation of the district office and other regional associations took part in the commemoration ceremonies in Eichenberg and Hummelshain.
The joint conclusion of this day took place on a worthy occasion in the hall of the rose garden. Our association had been planning and organizing the evening event for a year. Everything was festively decorated, an extensive buffet was served by Janos and his team, and an extensive selection of Ukrainian desserts was presented by our Ukrainian friends in Kahla. With District Administrator Waschnewski as well as with the 125 guests, everything was very well received. After the meal, the varied cultural program offered the guests a pleasant evening.
Mayor Jan Schönfeld and Prof. Dr. Hellwig presented the city’s certificate of honour to Emilia on behalf of the city of Kahla, who gratefully accepted it on behalf of her mother Christine.
The short film, “80 Faces”, documented 80 portraits that stood for 80 years of commemoration. This was very emotional for many of the guests, as they recognized their family members.
Our association was presented with the Medal of Honour by the French National Association for the Commemoration of Forced Labor, represented by Mrs. Nicole Godard, for our work so far, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the liberation.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you again:
To the city of Kahla, LR Waschnewski for coming, Janos Seibel and his team, the gospel choir Kahla under the direction of Ina Köllner, Lea, Hanna and Sophie from the OCV, David Albert-Brunet (France) and cantor Ina Köllner, Dietmar Hild, our association members and all guests who gave the day a worthy end to this evening.
