House stories #2

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Sophien-Säle (historic spelling) in the former Handwerkervereinshaus were a place for education, culture, and political gatherings – closely connected to the history of workers’ movements and collective organizing. Following the ban of the association, its insolvency, and the forced auction of the building, this place was integrated into a system of violence and exploitation during the Nazi era: a forced labor camp was established in what are now the Sophiensæle. Many of those held there came from German-occupied regions of Eastern Europe, particularly Ukraine.

House stories is a discussion format at Sophiensæle that takes the history of the building as a starting point and connects it to contemporary questions. In the second edition, we invite audiences to join a conversation with guests – about the history of forced labor in the Sophiensæle during the Nazi era, and about how these histories are remembered and engaged with today.

The event takes place in cooperation with Ukrainian Memory Week by Vitsche e.V., which emerged from the need of the Ukrainian community in Germany to create space for Ukrainian historical experiences within European memory culture—further intensified by Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, and including the remembrance of Ukrainians during the Second World War.

With: Lisa Schank, Vanessa Amoah Opoku, Vitsche e.V., Stefanie Hauser & Elias Capelle (Sophiensæle)

A production by Sophiensæle.Media partners: Missy Magazine, Siegessäule, taz.

Next date:

• Date Wednesday, 06/May/2026 18:30
• Venue Festsaal–Foyer
• Address Schönwalder Allee 26, 13587 Berlin-Kreisfreie Stadt Berlin