The association ‘Kriegsheimkehrer mahnen!’ e.V. (War returnees remember! e.V.) was officially founded in 2016 in Bochum (North-Rhine Westphalia) and joined FRH as a member in 2018.
The Holy Family Church in Bochum, North-Rhine Westphalia/ Germany
More than 11 million German soldiers and civilians were in captivity as prisoners of war. They lived ‘barely survived’ in more than 9.000 camps worldwide. Those who survived and returned home reported on this in a variety of ways. They created a site, the ‘Church of Gratitude of the War Returnees’ in Bochum, which is an expression of their gratitude before God about their fortunate return home. Following generations ought to remember: the right of freedom and human dignity cannot be taken for granted. Awareness of this right should always be revived and maintained.
A museum is located in the crypt. Numerous objects are shown there which were formed in the camps. Furthermore, impressive paintings and drawings from the everyday life of the camp inmates as well as a reproduction of the so-called ‘Madonna of Stalingrad’ are exposed. Even for young people it is worthwhile to visit the church and the crypt for two aspects. On the one hand they gain insight into the dark years of history. On the other hand, the site conveys a more thorough understanding of a life in peace and freedom.
The conceptual work in the context of the museum is targeted to bear in remembrance the common German and European history as well as to reduce historically grown prejudices in the sense of enhancing the European spirit and idea. After the bloody past Europe needs a shared future of reconciliation and peace.
Vicar August Halbe, as a priest over five years prisoner of war in the Urals, took the decisive initiative for the construction of the church in thanks for the rescue from camp detention. The project of the construction of the Church of Gratitude was presented to the public in 1955. Supported by the church construction association which was founded in 1956, two years later 20 war returnees turned the first sod.
On 12 December, 1959, the bishop of Essen (Ruhrbischof) Dr. Franz Hengsbach consecrated the church. It bears the name ‘Holy Family’ and remembers the return of the family of Jesus from Egypt. Since 2005 the worship building is listed. The church is a place of remembrance of national reputation in which the historical and religious memory of a generation of war returnees has found expression. The architectural concept, the crypt and the iconographic programme of the windows (‘Street of War’) constitute an ensemble. The great window in the apse ‘The Praise of the Young Men for Rescue from the Furnace’ is for instance the expression of gratitude of the artist Wilhelm de Graaf as a war returnee.
The association ‘Kriegsheimkehrer mahnen!’ e.V. (War returnees remember! e.V.) was officially founded in 2016 in Bochum (North-Rhine Westphalia). The association feels beholden to the commemorative culture of the war returnees after world war II who built the church. Following generations ought to remember: the right of freedom and human dignity cannot be taken for granted. Awareness of this right has always to be revived and maintained (cf. EU Charter of Fundamental Rights). It is this message of peace, forgiveness and reconciliation which the returnees wanted to express by building this memorial of national reputation. It is the aim of the association to proclaim this spirit on a transnational and European context and to promote it further by events of shared remembrance.
Furthermore, the main focus of the association is put on the dialogue with the ecclesiastical institutions as well as all interested stakeholders in the economic, scientific, cultural and social environment for the purpose of securing the perenniality of the memorial in conjunction with the church as an historic place of worship.
Author: Mr Meinolf Schwens
For more information: www.kriegsheimkehrer-mahnen-ev.org
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