About

Aktion "1933-1945 Nachgegraben" – 40 Jahre danach is a project created by the Active Museum of Fascism and Resistance in Berlin and the Berlin History Workshop in cooperation with the Topography of Terror Foundation.

  • A woman stands next to a pinboard where colorful notes form a thematic cluster around a central photo. Words such as “Ort” (place), “Aktion” (action) and “Kontext” (context) are handwritten.
  • Two women sit at a table with working materials; in the background, a pinboard with colorful notes forms a thematic cluster around a photo.

Meeting of the working group at the German Resistance Memorial on 6 November 2024, in the picture Cornelia Siebeck and Leonie Teuffert. / Copyright: Ulrich Tempel / Topography of Terror Foundation

The symbolic excavation of 1985 is a fundamental part of the cooperation partners’ institutional memory. It is frequently mentioned in connection with the 1980s movement to expose history and establish memorials in the German Federal Republic.

Recent research conducted by the Topography of Terror Foundation uncovered several photographs of the symbolic excavation, which prompted new questions:  Who were the people in the pictures? What motivated them to take part in the excavation project in May 1985 and how do they look back on this event today?

  • In a fenced outdoor area with red wooden walls, several people dig in sandy soil using shovels and a wheelbarrow. Some wear aprons and work gloves. Children and adults watch or join in.
  • Two women sit on a red bench in the foreground, observing a group of people—including children—digging in a sandy area within a fenced space with red wooden walls.

Sabine Weißler and Stella Flatten (on the bench) at the collective excavation workshop by Stella Flatten as part of "Radical Playgrounds" on 8 June 2024 in front of the west façade of the Gropius Bau / Copyright: Stella Flatten

A current political remembrance intervention inspired us to systematically pursue these questions. As part of the ‘Radical Playgrounds‘ art programme held around the Gropius Building in summer 2024, the collaborative art platform ‘School of Mutants’ and the geographer and artist Stella Flatten created the installation ‘The Dig’. While referencing the 1985 excavation campaign, it focused on the invisible colonial history at the site of the former Museum of Ethnology.

Once we realised that 2025 marked the 40th anniversary of the symbolic excavation of 1985, we decided to dedicate an online exhibition to this event. In October 2024, we invited former activists to the Berlin History Workshop to discuss the event and help us identify the people in the photographs.

  • On a table lie many prints of historical photographs. One hand writes on a black-and-white photo, while two others point to different areas.
  • On a table lie numerous black-and-white photographs. Several people, including two older women, are closely examining the prints together, discussing and pointing to different details.

On 23 October 2024, participants in the "Nachgegraben" campaign meet with others active in the 1980s and the working group to identify people and talk about the course of the campaign. / Copyright: Cornelia Siebeck

Those interested in our project were asked about their memories of the time and how they view the event today. We also placed the event in its local and historical contexts. In April 2025, we met with key protagonists on the grounds of the Topography of Terror Documentation Centre. Video recordings of this meeting are integrated into the exhibition.

  • Three people stand in front of a historic building, looking together at black-and-white photographs. Two point to specific details, while the third holds a print. The scene appears focused and collaborative.
  • Three older adults are facing a young woman, while another person films the scene with a camera on a tripod. They are standing on a paved outdoor area. In the background are large stone buildings and a fenced area.

Preliminary talk on 10 April 2025. Meeting on the current site of the "Topography of Terror" on 12 April 2025 with Udo Gößwald (red jumper), Jürgen Karwelat and Sabine Weißler at the site of the "Nachgegraben" campaign. Leonie Teuffert from the working group leads the conversation. / Copyright: Ulrich Tempel / Topography of Terror Foundation, Fabian Hickethier BAR PACIFICO/

Our online exhibition aims to create a virtual memorial to the symbolic excavation of 1985. In light of the current political (remembrance) backlash, we also call for a sustained commitment to a critical awareness of history – without which a democratic society based on the solidarity of many would not be possible. History is being made.

In the spirit of active engagement with history, this online exhibition aims to encourage participation beyond our small project team. Do you recognize a person in the photos? Information about other people involved in the “1933-1945 Nachgegraben” campaign are very welcome, so please get in touch with us!

  • Four people are sitting in a bright office room at a table, viewed through a glass pane. The walls are lined with shelves full of books and folders. They are discussing documents, and the atmosphere appears focused and collaborative.
  • Six people are seated around a table in a bright room. On the table are notes, books, and snacks. Papers with terms like “Action,” “Place,” and “Context” are pinned to the wall. The atmosphere appears lively and collaborative.

Meeting at the Topography of Terror on 10 April 2025 and at the BAR PACIFICO design office on 26 April 2025 / Copyright: Fabian Hickethier BAR PACIFICO/ Ulrich Tempel / Stiftung Topographie des Terrors

Project Participants

Miriamne Fields, b. 1967, professional translator since 2001 with a special focus on German history. She is pleased to be a part of so many interesting projects produced by the Topography of Terror Foundation and the Active Museum.

Fabian Hickethier, b. 1975, concept developer at the Berlin design studio BAR PACIFICO/. In 2002 he began working as an exhibition designer in the field of remembrance with an emphasis on the Nazi era. His first project was the exhibition ‘Anschläge?!’, which addressed current marginalisation in society and was displayed on the construction fence of the Topography of Terror grounds.

Jurij Hickethier, b. 2005, visual designer and performance artist. He is interested in the urban spatial localisation of socio-political debates - and where it is difficult to perceive them at all.

Jürgen Karwelat, b. 1951, administrative lawyer and board member of the Berlin History Workshop. Berlin is a veritable history book. It is important to use the sites of terror to remind people of how quickly a society can fall into barbarism. We set an important example back then.

Gerd Kühling, b. 1978, historian and board member of the Active Museum. In light of the remembrance struggles of the 1980s and the association’s early history, he finds it interesting that so many people from different organisations and fields were involved in the event at the time, and is also curious about who was indifferent to it.

Christine Meibeck, b. 1988, historian and doctoral student at the University of Potsdam. She believes the excavation campaign demonstrates how important a strong, responsible civil society is for a resilient democracy.

Kaspar Nürnberg, b. 1969, historian and director of the Active Museum since 2007. When he was a young teenager in the early 1980s, his parents dragged their reluctant son to large peace demonstrations in Bonn. He finds it striking how many children and young people are in the photos.

Cornelia Siebeck, b. 1975, historian and member of the Active Museum. She finds it important to remember the historical-cultural changes that have occurred since the late 1970s and to consider how much has been achieved since then and how this is under threat again.

Ulrich Tempel, b. 1968, first state exam in history and German, degree in archival studies (FH), archivist at the Topography of Terror Foundation. He works with the visual records of the ‘Topography of Terror’ site and is fascinated by the many photographs taken during the symbolic excavation campaign.

Leonie Teuffert, b. 1998, is completing a master’s degree in public history at the Free University of Berlin. She is interested in local historical remembrance practices in urban space. She enjoyed being a part of the project team, which introduced her to new perspectives on historical-cultural practices and reminded her of how important it is to be personally committed to remembrance and democracy.

  • Three people sit at a table covered with papers, pens, fruits, and coffee cups. They appear focused and engaged in discussion or reading. The setting is a bright room with glass walls and wooden floors.
  • A person with a camera looks intently through the viewfinder, observing a site from above. In the background, a historic building is visible.

Meeting at the BAR PACIFICO design office on 26 April 2025. Pictures of the excavation site as it looks today were taken on 10 April 2025 / Copyright: Fabian Hickethier BAR PACIFICO/

We would like to thank:

Eva Brücker

Amélie zu Eulenburg

Regina Gößwald

Sabine Hering

Ulrich Horb

Gesa Knolle

Helmut Maier

Susanne zur Nieden

Margit Rust

Trille Schünke-Bettinger

Patrick Schwarz

Roland Stelter

Ulrike Treziak

Günter Watermeier

Gisela Wenzel

arsenal - institut für film und videokunst e.V.

Berliner Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung, Bauen und Wohnen

Brandenburgisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologisches Landesmuseum

FHXB Museum

Landesarchiv Berlin

Stiftung Berliner Mauer

Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin

Verein für die Geschichte Friedrichshain-Kreuzbergs e.V.

Funded by

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