Children from forbidden relationships between Germans and prisoners of war or forced laborers
During the Nazi era, friendly and intimate contact between Germans and foreign prisoners of war or forced laborers was undesirable and in some cases strictly forbidden. But they are "still there": children who emerged from such "forbidden relationships" during the Second World War or in the early post-war period.
Many of them experienced racism and stigmatization, grew up in ignorance of their origins or never found out that they came from a forbidden relationship. Their stories were taboo for a long time, have hardly been researched scientifically and have little presence in the culture of remembrance.
Who were their parents? Where did they come from and how did they fare during the Nazi era? How did the children grow up and what challenges did they face in the post-war period? How did their parents' history influence their own lives?
The Sandbostel Camp Memorial has addressed these previously neglected questions and tracked down more than 20 children from "forbidden relationships". The exhibition is dedicated to the life stories of these children. Their personal memories, documents and photos formed the basis for this.
- Welcome: Dr. Christine Glauning
- Greeting: Ton Maas, son of a former Dutch forced laborer and a German mother
- Moderated panel discussion: Introduction to the exhibition with the curatorial team Andreas Ehresmann, Lucy Debus, Gwendoline Cicottini
Additional information
Booking: Registration via: veranstaltung_ns-zwangsarbeit@topographie.de
Dates
November 2025
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