Expellees in Hesse

Since April 6, 2025, the new permanent exhibition “Expellees in Hesse: Arrival and Integration after 1945” has been on display at the House from Sterzhausen. Spread across eleven exhibition rooms, it tells the story of the German population from Eastern Europe who were forcibly resettled in Germany as a result of World War II and found a new home in Hesse. Today, nearly one in three people in Hesse has family ties to the post-1945 displacement. Nevertheless, memory of this part of history is increasingly fading from the collective consciousness.

The exhibition highlights the living conditions of people before their displacement, the challenges they faced upon arrival in Hesse, and the processes and successes of their integration. Central to the exhibition are personal objects brought by the expellees, as well as their biographies and individual stories. Among the few belongings were items such as a piccolo flute, a glass jewelry box, or a poppy seed grinder – artifacts from their regions of origin that underscore the feeling of being torn from familiar surroundings. Interactive media stations give voice to both expellees and local residents from Hesse.

Another focus of the exhibition is the cultural background and heritage of the expellees, as well as the difficulties they encountered upon their arrival in Hesse. Key questions are raised: What were the conditions for housing? How did integration into the labor market succeed? Everyday aspects such as family nutrition and religious practice are also explored.