Brandenburg Memorials Foundation

The Brandenburg Memorials Foundation (German: Stiftung Brandenburgische Gedenkstätten) is a public-law foundation based in Oranienburg, Brandenburg, Germany. It was established by the State of Brandenburg with effect from 1 January 1993, following recommendations from an expert commission that had presented proposals for reorienting memorial work in 1992. Its purpose is to confront the history of terror, war and dictatorship and to maintain memorial sites of national and international significance within Brandenburg, focusing on the former Nazi concentration camps and the Soviet special camps administered by the Soviet Military Administration in Germany between 1945 and 1950. The foundation is responsible for a network of memorial sites and museums. These include the Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum, the Ravensbrück Memorial, the Death March Memorial in the Belower Wald, the Leistikowstraße Memorial in Potsdam, the Memorial for the Victims of the Euthanasia Murders, the Brandenburg-Görden Prison Memorial, and the Lieberose Memorial in Jamlitz. Through these sites it preserves authentic locations, plans and designs exhibitions and events, conducts scholarly research, carries out museum education, and publishes works on the former camps and on its own activities. Its legal basis is the ordinance on the establishment of the legally capable public-law foundation "Brandenburgische Gedenkstätten" issued by the State of Brandenburg. Legal supervision lies with the Brandenburg Ministry of Culture. The foundation receives an annual subsidy funded in equal parts by the State of Brandenburg and the Federal Republic of Germany. Its seat is in Oranienburg in the so-called T-Building, which housed the Inspectorate of the Concentration Camps from 1938 to 1945. The director of the Sachsenhausen Memorial serves ex officio as the foundation's board and carries the title Foundation Director, conducting day-to-day business. The deputy is the director of the Ravensbrück Memorial, and an administrative director manages the foundation's office. A seven-member Foundation Council chaired by the Brandenburg Minister of Culture decides on fundamental matters, including the hiring of senior staff. There is also an advisory board of up to 20 members representing affected groups and associations, and an expert commission of seven specialists. The foundation's history is closely tied to its leadership. Its first director was Jürgen Dittberner until 1997, followed by Günter Morsch from 1997 to 2018, and Axel Drecoll since 2018. Bernd Faulenbach chaired the expert commission that recommended its creation and became the first chair of its expert commission after 1993. The foundation continues to work on re-conceiving the Sachsenhausen and Ravensbrück sites, including addressing the history of the Soviet special camp Sachsenhausen within a revised memorial and modern contemporary-history museum.

The Brandenburg Memorials Foundation was created in response to a 1992 expert commission that recommended a new conception for memorial work in the state of Brandenburg. The commission was chaired by Bernd Faulenbach, who after the foundation's establishment in 1993 became the first chair of its expert commission. The foundation was established by the State of Brandenburg as a public-law foundation with effect from 1 January 1993, with its seat in Oranienburg. Its first director was Jürgen Dittberner, who led the foundation until 1997. He was succeeded by Günter Morsch, whose tenure from 1997 to 2018 saw the expansion and professionalization of the memorial sites, including the development of exhibitions and research. Since 2018, Axel Drecoll has directed the foundation. The foundation's legal basis is the ordinance on the establishment of the legally capable public-law foundation "Brandenburgische Gedenkstätten" of the State of Brandenburg. Legal supervision is exercised by the Brandenburg Ministry of Culture. To fulfill its tasks, the foundation receives an annual subsidy funded in equal parts by the State of Brandenburg and the Federal Republic of Germany. Its seat is in Oranienburg in the so-called T-Building, which from 1938 to 1945 housed the Inspectorate of the Concentration Camps. The foundation maintains and cares for the memorial sites and museums at the former Sachsenhausen and Ravensbrück concentration camps, plans and designs exhibitions and events, conducts scholarly research and museum education, and produces publications about these former camps and the results of its own work. It also addresses the history of the Soviet special camp Sachsenhausen and its treatment in a revised memorial and modern contemporary-history museum. This process of re-conception in Sachsenhausen and Ravensbrück is still ongoing. Permanent and temporary exhibitions inform visitors at authentic locations about the history of the camps and detention sites. For 2015, the foundation's business plan projected expenditures of €6,443,900 and income of €280,300, with the difference of €6,163,600 to be covered by subsidies from the State of Brandenburg and the Federal Republic of Germany. The number of employees was budgeted at 57.5 full-time positions for 2015. The foundation's governance includes a Foundation Council of seven members chaired by the Brandenburg Minister of Culture, which decides on fundamental matters including the hiring of senior staff. There is also an advisory board of up to 20 members representing affected groups and associations, and an expert commission of seven specialists. The director of the Sachsenhausen Memorial serves ex officio as the foundation's board, carrying the title Foundation Director and conducting day-to-day business; the deputy is the director of the Ravensbrück Memorial, and an administrative director manages the foundation's office.

• 2018

  Günter Morsch ends his tenure; Axel Drecoll becomes Foundation Director.

• 1997

  Jürgen Dittberner ends his tenure as first Foundation Director; Günter Morsch succeeds him.

• 1993

  Foundation established by the State of Brandenburg with effect from 1 January 1993.

• 1992

  Expert commission chaired by Bernd Faulenbach presents recommendations for a new conception of memorial work in Brandenburg.

A state-funded public-law foundation dedicated to preserving and communicating the history of Nazi terror and Soviet special camps in Brandenburg through authentic memorial sites, research and education.

• Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum

  Memorial and museum at the former Sachsenhausen concentration camp.

• Ravensbrück Memorial

  Memorial at the former Ravensbrück concentration camp.

• Death March Memorial in the Belower Wald

  Memorial commemorating the death marches in the Belower Wald.

• Leistikowstraße Memorial Potsdam

  Memorial at the site of a former Soviet secret service facility in Potsdam.

• Memorial for the Victims of the Euthanasia Murders

  Memorial dedicated to the victims of Nazi euthanasia murders.

• Brandenburg-Görden Prison Memorial

  Memorial at the former Brandenburg-Görden prison.

• Lieberose Memorial in Jamlitz

  Memorial in Jamlitz associated with the Lieberose camp.

1. 1Start | Stiftung Brandenburgische Gedenkstättenstiftung-bg.de
2. 2Brandenburg Memorials Foundation - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Stiftung Brandenburgische Gedenkstätten - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org