A trip to Auschwitz - experiences and impressions

Personal impressions, photographs and historical context will be the focus of a talk organised by the Bocholt-Rhede-Isselburg Adult Education Centre on Thursday, 8 October, at 6.30 pm at the LernWerk. Karl-Heinz Nelskamp from Dingden will talk about his visit to the Auschwitz I and Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial sites. Admission is free.

Auschwitz is, more than almost any other place, associated with the crimes of National Socialism and the murder of millions of people. Today, the former concentration and extermination camps are key sites of remembrance and historical education.

In a book entitled "A Journey to Auschwitz - Experiences and Impressions", Karl-Heinz Nelskamp recounts his visit to Auschwitz and Auschwitz-Birkenau. Personal photographs and observations give visitors a first-hand impression of the memorial sites and historical locations as they are today.

Nelskamp combines his personal impressions with historical context on the history of the concentration and extermination camp and on the living conditions of the people imprisoned and murdered there. The talk also examines the question of the significance of remembrance and commemoration today. Karl-Heinz Nelskamp is the managing director of the Dingden Local History Association, which runs the Humberghaus Dingden Nazi Memorial. As part of his work in regional remembrance initiatives, he engages intensively with the history of National Socialism and its dissemination.

The event begins on Thursday, 8 October, at 6.30 pm in the event hall of the LernWerk. Attendance is free of charge. The event hall is accessible to all and equipped with an inductive loop system. This can be used by people with a hearing aid or cochlear implant fitted with a T-coil.

Further information is available from the VHS office in Bocholt, Industriestraße 1, at the Rhede and Isselburg branches, and at www.vhs.bocholt.de.