Oberhausen - Gedenkhalle Schloß Oberhausen Origins of the memorial hall     The history of the Memorial Hall, the first Memorial Centre of its kind in Northrhine-Westphalia, has its roots in a period well before its coming into existence. In essence it is an expression of, and living testament to, a generation subjected to the crimes against humanity committed by the National Socialist regime in the name of all Germans, which lost relatives and friends in the most horrific way and which endured imprisonment, camps and interrogation. Thus it documents to this day the recognition that totalitarian regimes must be opposed with determination. The wing of Oberhausen Castle, damaged during the war 1959 application to establish the Memorial Centre According to the application to the city council of 20 October 1959, the building was to honour the memory of the victims as well as serve as a warning to subse-quent generations, but should also be a centre of information and facilitate confrontation with its own history. The venue should be situated in the "historical, geo-graphical and cultural centre of our city" with a view to reaching as many people as possible: in Oberhausen Castle. "The Mourner" – sculpture by Willi Meller, photograph taken in 2001 Memorial plaque in front of the sculpture, photograph taken in 2001 General-Anzeiger 9 March 1962 On 2 March 1960, an all-party resolution of the Oberhausen city council determined that the left lateral wing of the castle be rebuilt to serve as a memorial space and to design the park and entrance area as well as a permanent exhibition "in honour and memory of the Oberhausen victims of fascism." Men and women who had been members of the local resistance movement at the time were involved in the preparations for the Memorial Centre"s first exhibition, thus lending authenticity to the archive material and eye-witness reports. On 2 September 1962 the ceremonial opening of the Memorial Centre took place; it was the first exhibition of its kind in Northrhine-Westphalia. At the same time Professor Willi Meller"s memorial sculpture "The Mourner" was unveiled in front of the Memorial Centre. Opening of the Memorial Centre 1962 Memorial plaque in the vestibule: Relief by Karl Muschalek, 1962 In the decades which followed, the Memorial Centre was the venue for highly regarded special exhibitions, i.a. "Hitler"s road to total power." (1973), "Kristallnacht 1938. Never forget and never again!" (1978), "Pablo Picasso – Peace. Anti-war graphics." (1982), "War and peace – A. Paul Weber." (1984), "Otto Pankok – fellow men." (1990), "Fritz Cremer – For Mother Coppi and the others." (1990), "Gulf Watch – in the face of a war." (1992) and "Die Weisse Rose" ("The White Rose") (2000). The Memorial Centre, 2001 A newly-conceived permanent exhibition was opened on 9 November 1988 with the title "Fascism doesn"t happen overnight – persecution and resistance in Oberhausen during the Nazi dictatorship between 1933 and 1945." The Memorial Centre was not intended to be a mausoleum, nor to communicate a static and closed weltanschauung. Instead, contact and exchange between the generations and between people from different backgrounds and character should create a meeting place where constant questioning and responses could thrive. Heinrich Kasan's artistic bomb crater in front of the Memorial Centre, 8 May 1985 Contact details | Webmaster | Imprint | References