HAMBURG
STRENGTHENS EDUCATION
FOR CRITICAL
HISTORICAL AWARENESS
Hamburg is taking further steps to strengthen education for democracy and the culture of remembrance. In the future, a visit to a memorial site commemorating the crimes of National Socialism will be a compulsory part of the curriculum for all students beginning in Grade 5.
The aim is to deepen knowledge of the history of these sites and of the Nazi policies of persecution and extermination, and at the same time to anchor democratic values, historical responsibility, and reflection on exclusion and discrimination more firmly in schools. Visits will be free for students. The Authority for Schools, Family and Vocational Education and the Authority for Culture and Media have drawn up joint recommendations on suitable educational and memorial sites, which name eight memorial sites and educational centers in Hamburg for school groups to visit.
A culture of remembrance that combines commemorating the victims of National Socialism with critical reflection on its history is one of the essential foundations of a free and democratic society. Schools make an important contribution here by fostering critical historical awareness in young people, along with the ability to think and act democratically. That is why history curricula and social studies already provide for a visit to a memorial site commemorating Nazi crimes as a complement to regular lessons. In the future, beginning in Grade 5, such a visit will become a permanent, compulsory part of the curriculum. This is to ensure that every student in Hamburg visits a memorial site at least once during their schooling.
Ksenija Bekeris, Senator for Schools, Family and Vocational Education, said: “Democracy, the rule of law and human dignity are the foundation of how we live together. But they cannot be taken for granted. Education for democracy is particularly important to me, and schools play a key role in it. They are places where the principles of our free and pluralistic society are taught, both in lessons and in everyday interactions. Memorial sites show powerfully where exclusion, antisemitism, racism and ideologies of contempt for humanity can lead. Making visits to memorial sites compulsory will allow us to link history teaching even more closely with putting education for democracy into practice, while strengthening the role of schools as key places for learning democracy.”
Dr. Carsten Brosda, Senator for Culture and Media, said: “Through visits to memorial sites, we want to spark curiosity in Hamburg’s students that leads them to ask their own questions about our history and about our responsibility for a life in freedom based on knowledge and critical thinking. After all, the work of remembering and commemorating does not end at the gates of memorial sites; it is a task for society as a whole. Especially at
a time when there are renewed attempts to declare the past a closed chapter, we want to strengthen remembrance of the crimes of National Socialism, and with it both an awareness of how important it is to live in freedom and diversity, in democracy and peace, and a commitment to these values.”
Prof. Dr. Oliver von Wrochem, member of the Executive Board of the Foundation of Hamburg Memorials and Learning Centres Commemorating the Victims of Nazi Crimes, said: “As the body responsible for memorial sites and educational centers devoted to contemporary history, our Foundation works in the fields of historical and political education. Our aim is to foster critical historical awareness through remembrance of Nazi injustice and its victims, and in doing so to lay an important foundation for democratic action here and now. At our memorial sites, we teach about the importance of fundamental and human rights and link historical questions with present-day ones. Through our educational work, we create space for an open, fact-based culture of debate, and for encounter and dialogue. We invite school groups to take advantage of our wide range of programs and to explore history in depth at the authentic sites of Nazi persecution in Hamburg.”
By making a visit to a memorial site a compulsory part of the curriculum, Hamburg is strengthening education for democracy as
a cross-curricular task spanning different subject areas and making it one of the most important responsibilities of schools. This is because historical events, the connections between them, and the responsibility that arises from them and extends into the present cannot be conveyed through abstract intellectual reflection alone. Memorial sites make it possible to explore history in concrete places and through the fates of individual people. They create a direct link to historical events and so make a valuable contribution to shaping attitudes and actions informed by historical awareness in today’s world.
In their joint recommendations on suitable educational and memorial sites, the Authority for Schools, Family and Vocational Education and the Authority for Culture and Media take a broad view of what counts as a memorial site. A historical site should allow the victims of the Nazi dictatorship to be commemorated with dignity, while also encouraging reflection on the various forms of discrimination against individuals and groups and on the particular responsibility involved in shaping a pluralistic and democratic
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