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13th of November 2009 to 31st of May 2010 (daily between 11:00 am to 4:00 pm)
„Im Totaleinsatz - The Forced Labor of the Czech population for the Third Reich“
An exhibition by the „Czech-German Fund for the Future“ and the foundation „Topography of Terror, Documentation Centre Nazi Forced Labour“, Berlin Schöneweide.
The public perception towards slaves and forced laborers within the Third Reich was such, that the Czechs played a minor role when compared to Poles, Russian, Belorussians and Ukraines. For a long period of time the view in Germany was that the Czech forced laborers came „willingly“ to Germany. It was believed that they shared a „better status“ then the Poles or Russians and weren’t „real forced laborers“.
This is historically speaking not correct. With the formation of the Protectorate Bohemia and Moravia in March 1939, the German authorities pressured the Czech population to register for work in Germany. Officially it was voluntary, however, with time the recruitment measures became more drastic. Eventually all age groups would become subjected to „Totaleinsatz“. Roughly 400,000 to 600,000 Czech forced laborers, had to work within the Third Reich under inhumane circumstances until 1945.
The exhibtion "Im Totaleinsatz“ documents the working and living conditions that these people had to endure. Focus is also put on the labor and penal system within the Workercamps, with reference to 250 personal documents and photographs. The actual slave labor of the CC detainees as well as the specific circumstances of Jews and Gypsies are looked at in detail. A film containing excerpts of interviews and recollections by survivors, adds depth to the exhibition.
The presentation is supplemented via photographs by the Czech photographer Zdenek Tmej, taken during his years as a forced laborer in Breslau between 1942- 1944 which has kindly been provided by the Archive B&M Chocola Prague.
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