85 Years Later: The Deportation of Germans in the Soviet Union in 1941

Deportationserlass 1941 – Ausschnitt aus Zeitung

The deportations of 1941 marked the violent end of German settlement areas in the European part of the Soviet Union and in the Caucasus. They represented a dramatic rupture whose consequences are still felt today in the self-perception of those affected and their descendants. This applies in particular to the identity of the more than 2.5 million German citizens with a Russian-German immigration background. The conference examines the background, impacts, and consequences of the deportations and draws a connection to current issues of remembrance culture and integration.

The event is held under the patronage of, and with financial support from, the Federal Government Commissioner for Matters Related to Ethnic German Resettlers and National Minorities.

As part of the conference programme, the panel discussion "Deportation and Remembrance. The 85th Anniversary of the Forced Resettlement of Russian Germans in 1941" will take place on Friday, September 18, from 6:30 p.m., marking the anniversary of the deportations.

The conference will be held both on site at the Documentation Center for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation and online via live stream.

An event organized by the Commission for Germans in and from Eastern Europe, Siberia, Central Asia, and the Caucasus, in cooperation with the Northeast Institute, Lüneburg; the Museum for Russian-German Cultural History, the Cultural Office for Russian-Germans, both Detmold; and the Documentation Center for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation, Berlin.

Next date:

• Date Friday, 18/September/2026 14:30 bis 18:10 ( 2 more dates )
• Venue Dokumentationszentrum Flucht, Vertreibung, Versöhnung
• Address Stresemannstraße 90, 10963 Berlin-Kreuzberg