Holocaust Studies academics open the first Kindertransport exhibition in Berlin

Academics in the School of Arts and Humanities have recently opened a new Kindertransport exhibition, ‘At the End of the Tunnel’, in Berlin. The outdoor exhibition is the first Kindertransport exhibition ever to show in Berlin, and the first in Germany to present the event from a German-British perspective.

‘At the End of the Tunnel’ is a result of a collaboration between Professor Bill Niven and Midlands4Cities PhD student Amy Williams from Nottingham Trent University (NTU), Dr Andrea Hammel from Aberystwyth University and Norbert Wiesneth of PhotoWerkBerlin. Bill and Amy have previously collaborated on several indoor exhibitions around the Kindertransport, which were recently shown at the British Embassy in Berlin in 2018. After impressing and inspiring PhotoWerkBerlin with their approach, the project ‘At the End of the Tunnel’ was created.

The exhibition has been supported by NTU’s Global Heritage Fund, the Berlin-Charlottenburg Cultural Office, the Kommunale Galerie Berlin, PhotoWerkBerlin and the Kindertransport-Organisation Deutschland.

On 15 August 2019, Bill and Amy attended and spoke at the official opening of the new exhibition in Berlin. ‘At the End of the Tunnel’ was opened under the patronage of the British Ambassador to Germany, Sir Sebastian Wood. The exhibition comes as part of efforts by Britain and Germany over the last two years to commemorate the Kindertransport, the rescue in 1938/1939 of mainly Jewish children to Britain and other countries.

The opening of the exhibition

The creative exhibition comes in the form of advertising columns. The first column considers what the Jewish children’s lives were like prior to their departure on the Kindertransport, why they had to flee from their homes, and how the rescue operation was organised in Germany. The second column traces the children’s journeys to their different host nations, discusses how they were treated in Britain, what happened to them during and after the Second World War, and their movements beyond British shores. The final column focuses on the biographies and testimonies of four children from Berlin-Charlottenburg who left Germany on a Kindertransport.

‘At the End of the Tunnel’ is showing in Berlin until the end of October, and will be accompanied by other events such as a round table discussion on the Kindertransport, to which Bill and Amy will also contribute. Bill commented on the importance of this exhibition: “We feel it is important that Britain and Germany remember the Kindertransport together. It’s an event that links the history of our two countries. This bilingual exhibition, which resulted from British-German collaboration, is a step in that direction. We hope to be able to show the exhibition in Britain in the future.” Amy Williams added: “It was incredibly moving to read a speech from Hanna Miley, a former Kind from Germany at the opening event and to meet families of Kinder who are featured in the exhibition. We are incredibly grateful for their help and support with the project”.