Living Memorial Museum group visit Berlin
19 March 2010
The Healing Through Remembering Living Memorial Museum Sub Group visited Berlin this March on a city-wide site visit tour to look at the capital’s museums and how the city commemorates its difficult past.
The group’s visit was hosted by the House of the Wannsee Conference memorial and Education Site. It was in this house in 1942 that Reinhard Heydrich, Head of the Reich Security Main Office, chaired a meeting of high-ranking civil servants to plan the implementation of the ‘final solution’.
There the Sub Group met people involved in commemoration and museums and had the opportunity to share their experiences of looking at museums and conflict.
They visited a variety of conflict related sites including the Berlin Wall Documentation Centre, the Chapel of Reconciliation, the Berlin Wall Memorial and the Centre for Witnesses to Contemporary History. They also took a walking tour of the Berlin Wall including the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, the Jewish Memorial, Topography of Terror, Hitler’s bunker, and the former Gestapo headquarters.
The trip ended with visits to the DDR Museum and the Stasi Prison. The purpose of the trip was to inform the work of the Sub Group when considering how best society can best commemorate and reflect on conflict through the use of museums.
Significant conversation on Dealing with the Past
23 June 2017
Chief Constable Matt Baggott, Mitchell McLaughlin MLA, Sir Hugh Orde, Jackie McDonald and Kate Turner, Director of Healing Through Remembering were the panel at a meeting of a range of significant individuals discussing the issues of truth recovery was held last night. The event was chaired by Brian Rowan.
The meeting was held by Healing Through Remembering, on the eve of the Day of Reflection, a day for reflecting on the conflict in and about Northern Ireland, with the aim of ensuring a peaceful future for all.
Healing Through Remembering has been at the forefront of the debate on this issue for a number of years.
Speaking about the meeting, Kate Turner, director of Healing Through Remembering, said: “The eve of the Day of Reflection gives us an opportunity to reflect on the issue of truth recovery. It is an opportunity to further inform the decision making process and builds on the discussions the organisation has been having with a variety of groups and individuals.
Given the decisions that the Secretary of State has said he is soon to make, the time is right for this debate. HTR wanted to offer people this opportunity to share their views with others and hear other perspectives.”
Other individuals present at the discussion included those from victims’/survivors’ groups, security forces, ex-combatants, religious organisations and other NGOs.
Ms Turner said: “Any dialogue that takes place as part of this project is important, not just for those participating, but also for all of society. How we deal with the past shapes the future, not only of this generation but also of those to come.”
