Permanent Exhibition "History - Violence - Conscience"

Room 4: From the end to a beginning

It was the Nazis who started the devastating aerial war against civilians, against Warsaw, London or Rotterdam.
Allied bombs on German cities were the answer.

From end of March 1945, the Allies liberated Westphalia. Some places surrendered, others put up fierce resistance. Westphalia became part of the British occupation zone.
A democratic reorganisation was put into motion, characterised by denazification and demilitarisation. This also had consequences for the police. Nazi officials learned powerlessness the hard way.

They nonetheless found it easier to gain a foothold, than the persecutees who returned from exile, or from Nazi concentration camps.
Between starting anew and carrying on, survivors were in a worse position than perpetrators when having to find a roof over their heads.
Many survivors felt unwelcome. They were left alone to cope with their traumata and their dreams; all too often also with their hopes for aid.

 

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