Open Editorial Board at the Bielefeld City Archives: Shaping Memory Culture Together
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Shaping Memory Together: The Open Editorial Board in Bielefeld
The Open Editorial Board of the online portal Tracing Bielefeld 1933–1945 invites everyone to engage with local memory culture on October 6, 2026. Interested individuals, memory initiatives, educational and cultural institutions, as well as historical researchers will meet at the Bielefeld City Archives to share current projects, sources, and perspectives. Participation is free and can also be done via Zoom.
Historical Sources Become Living Memory
The focus is on the online portal, which explores the history of Bielefeld during the National Socialism from various perspectives. Biographies, places, events, and forms of resistance make visible how persecution, exclusion, adaptation, and civil courage manifested in local everyday life. Working with archival materials connects scientific research with cultural education and opens up a multi-perspective examination of historical contexts.
Program between Research, Discussion, and Exchange
After a get-together starting at 17:30, the welcome will begin at 18:00. Jan-Willem Waterböhr from the Bielefeld City Archives will present current developments and projects of the online portal. A lecture by Jannik Gorewoda from the University of Bielefeld will address the topic Swastika and Christian Cross – What did the Pastors of Lage Believe? This will be followed by a presentation from Dr. Jan Christian Pinsch on current narratives of right-wing Christian actors in Lage.
The event combines historical research, political education, and open discussion. This creates a special exhibition atmosphere of thinking: not individual works of art, but documents, memorial signs, biographies, and digital presentation forms become starting points for a shared aesthetic and historical experience.
A Forum for Local Memory Culture
The Open Editorial Board sees itself as a forum for networking memory culture in Bielefeld and East Westphalia-Lippe. The online portal offers an easily accessible information platform where results from initiatives, associations, schools, and cultural institutions become permanently visible. The content promotes engagement with different historical narratives and strengthens the ability to manage ambiguities and interpretive conflicts democratically.
Voices of the Visitors
The event is aimed at all people interested in the history of Bielefeld, the handling of historical sources, and the present of memory culture. The open character creates space for questions, personal experiences, and new cooperations.
Conclusion: History Needs Participation
The Open Editorial Board offers a concentrated art experience of a special kind: an examination of historical sources that does not present the past as a closed chapter but understands it as a shared responsibility. Those who want to explore local history, learn about memory work, or contribute their own perspectives will find an engaged forum for exchange and cultural education here. Visiting the City Archives or participating via Zoom enriches the aesthetic experience through knowledge, discussion, and shared remembrance.
Official Channels of Tracing Bielefeld:
- Instagram: no official profile found
- Facebook: no official profile found
- YouTube: no official profile found
- Website: https://spurensuche-bielefeld.de/
