“We share a commitment to throw light on the still obscured shadows of the Holocaust.”
-- Declaration of the Stockholm International Forum on the Holocaust
Embassy of Belgium and Topography of Terror Host Lecture on Belgian Resistance During World War II
05.04.2012
The Topography of Terror hosted a lecture and discussion on resistance and repression in Belgium during World War II in cooperation with the Belgian Embassy in Berlin on 27 March.
The seminar focused on the experiences of the area of the German-speaking community in eastern Belgium from 1940 to 1944.
Introductory speeches were given by Dr. Andreas Nachama of the Topographie of Terror, Ambassador of Belgium Renier Nijskens, and Karl Heinz Lambertz, Minister President of the German-speaking Community of Belgium.
Dr. Herbert Ruland of GrenzGeschichte DG presented the main lecture on the history of the German-speaking areas of eastern Belgium. He gave an overview of the situation in the area from 1940-1944 and discussed the many forms of resistance used by the local population during this period.
The special guest was Helmut Clahsen, an author who spoke of his experiences as a young boy in Belgium during World War II. Mr. Clahsen was born in Aachen and survived the war in hiding in the German-speaking areas of Belgium. Mr. Clahsen is the author of several novels about his experiences during World War II and also his pre- and post-war life in Aachen.
The lecture and discussion were presented with the assistance of the Embassy of Belgium to coincide with Belgium's 2012 Chairmanship of the ITF.