11 November 2024

More than 100 guests from Nordhausen and the surrounding area as well as members of the university accepted the invitation. Holger Wengler (then New Forum), Dr Klaus Zeh (Democratic Awakening), Klaus-Dieter Drick (New Forum Ellrich, then border area) as well as Peter Kube (retired pastor) and Barbara Rinke (church council) - initiators of the intercession services in the Altendorf church, from which the first Nordhausen demonstration started in 1989 - could be won as contemporary witnesses.

In the run-up to the event, the public was invited to participate by sending in photos. Some people brought their memorabilia to the university in person, while others asked for it to be collected from their homes. Even here there were interesting and touching encounters. It was amazing what treasures lie dormant in Nordhausen living rooms! Posters, banners and border pieces from this period were also made available to the university for the exhibition and led to lively discussions among many guests. Committed students took an active part by recreating the demonstration of the time with banners they had designed themselves.

The event was opened by Vice President Prof Dr Borbe, after which a chronicle of the most important events of this revolution - from the falsification of the local election results in May 1989 to the opening of the border in November - was presented. This was followed by a panel discussion, moderated by the initiators Prof. Dr Viola Sporleder-Geb and Ms Diana Skyba, in which the events and personal memories were presented - in some cases in very moving words. The panellists agreed: "The pressure for change was palpable back then." The audience also contributed moving experiences, such as the storming of the Nordhausen Stasi headquarters to prevent the destruction of the files.

Finally, the participants explored together what these experiences mean for our society today. "The event made us realise once again how courageous people were back then in the GDR. They stood up for democracy, the rule of law and civil liberties, even though the state was watching them and intensively preparing countermeasures such as internment and the violent suppression of protests. The fact that this revolution remained peaceful is nothing short of a miracle. We pay tribute to these people for their courage and level-headedness," summarises Vice President Professor Cordula Borbe. "These events are an important part of our history that we must keep alive together. Especially in this day and age, when courageous defence of democratic values is essential," said Borbe.

The next event will take place on Tuesday, 3 December 2024 at 6 p.m. on the topic of "105 years of women's suffrage, 75 years of equal rights".