Cold war and peace Hötensleben

Name: Cold war and peace Hötensleben
Start: 2023-07-21
End: 2023-08-06
Location: Hötensleben, Germany

Germany Renovation Manual work Study Renovation Manual work +1 Fixed dates

About the project

📝 Detailed information

🏢 About the local organisation

During the period of the Cold War, the village of Hötensleben used to be directly on the inner German border (Eastern side) that was dividing Germany. From 1952 to 1989, the village was part of an exclusion zone, created by the East German dictatorship. The exclusion zone was spread along the 1400 km borderline with West Germany and its goal was to prevent illegal border crossings. Walls, barbed wire fences, and watchtowers blocked the view and the roads to the West. Border guards, mines, and guns made sure that no one would try to flee from East Germany. For the villagers, as for all people living in the 5 km exclusion zone, life was even more restricted than elsewhere in the country. Armed forces and state surveillance were ever-present. Still, many people died trying to escape. After the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, the border fortifications were preserved by the local Border Memorial Association (Grenzdenkmalverein). A section of 400 metres of the former fortification system can still be visited today. The Border Memorial depicts life at the former border – in East and West Germany, informs about the rigid border regime, and commemorates its victims. It belongs to the Marienborn Memorial of German Division.

💼 What the programme involves

The Border Memorial is quite impressive and many visitors come to see it every year. To keep it in good conditions and to improve the access to the memorial, a lot of maintenance works are regularly needed. This is too much for the volunteers of the local association alone, so they are happy to get support from you. You will help them on maintenance and repair works at the Border Memorial and its surrounding. You will also set up a geocache at the Border Memorial and build a wooden seating area. In the course of the workcamp, there will be several study parts and excursions to learn more about the period of the German division, contemporary Germany and its people (History Lab). The work will be led by a professional instructor, so no previous experience is needed.

🏠 Accommodation on site

You will stay in Hötensleben former town hall. After the town hall moved to another place, the building has been renovated and now includes several holiday apartments. The apartments are quite comfortable and spacious, so that there will be enough room for everyone. There are different sleeping rooms with single beds and camp beds and a good equipped kitchen as well. Please bring a sleeping bag with you. Your group of volunteers will be responsible for grocery shopping and cooking together. The food will be bought with the camp budget and everybody will take turns for cooking, washing the dishes and cleaning. In order to reduce our carbon footprint on the planet, we encourage volunteers to reduce meat and try more sustainable dishes.

📍 About the location

Hötensleben is a little village with about 2,500 inhabitants. International workcamps have been taking place there for well over 20 years, so local inhabitants are looking forward to welcome the volunteers. Many activities will be done together with locals, e.g. the voluntary fire brigade of Hötensleben. Volunteers should be interested in German contemporary history as you will work at and visit historical places and commemoration sites related to Germany\'s history. You will be given bicycles so that you can be mobile in your free time and, for example, go to the swimming pool. This year, Hötensleben is celebrating its 25th workcamp anniversary, so be prepared for some special activities to celebrate this (party!).