78th anniversary of 20 July 1944
On 20 July 2022, Dominik Kretschmann took part in the commemorations on the occasion of the 78th anniversary of 20 July 1944 as head of the memorial of the Krzyzowa Foundation for European Understanding.
The official commemoration already began on 19 July. On the evening of that day, Prof. Dr. Benjamin Ziemann gave a lecture entitled "20 July 1932: A Missed Chance to Save the Weimar Republic?", which provided a broader context of the failed Weimar Republic in relation to the attempted coup d'état of 20 July 1944.
The actual ceremony of the Federal Government and the 20th July 1944 Foundation at the Plötzensee Memorial on 20 July was then marked by the impressive commemorative speech by Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. (A recording of the ceremony can be found here: https://youtu.be/dXc6gxUuWAA.
The speech (in English) can be read here: https://stiftung-20-juli-1944.de/reden/the-small-acts-of-courage). Tikhanovskaya repeatedly referred to the situation in Belarus and her own family, which made the topicality of the historical questions about scope for action, risks and sacrifices in the confrontation with a state power very clear.
The day also offered the opportunity to get to know the special exhibition "Contemporary Testimonies - Survivors of the Red Chapel Speak" at the German Resistance Memorial Centre.
at the German Resistance Memorial Center. (The exhibition catalogue published by the German Resistance Memorial Center can also be found in the library of the Kreisau Foundation: Cad/ROL).
