Travel Guide "Remembrance Connects Region Oder-Warta"

A SPACE FOR DISCOVERING AND GATHERING TOGETHER A me e t i ng and d i scovery space 81 A me e t i ng and d i scovery space 80 Th e space of gathering together and discovery encompasses the period of reconstruction in a peaceful neigh- bourhood, but also that of the socialist dictatorship, the Cold War, political change, and finally the European Union with open borders and entirely new challenges. Sites of reconstruction in a peaceful neighbourhood The following sites preserve the memory of the period during which „normal life“ was restored after the end of the war, the reparation of war damage, and the reconstruction of settlements and towns, partly sepa- rated by the reality of the new border beginning from 1945 . Many people had to acclimatise themselves to a strange new homeland and to new political systems. They adopted fo- reign cultural spaces and adapted them to their own needs. Sites of the Cold War The region, which was heavily fought over during the Second World War, came into the focus of the Warsaw Treaty military forces during the Cold War due to its location in the area of the new Polish-German border. The use and expansion of intact German bunkers from the Second World War, along with the construction of nuclear and spy bunkers and new military and armament facilities, turned large parts of the region into a restricted military area. Only after the withdrawal of the Russian armed forces were these monuments gradually made acces- sible to the public and adapted for civilian, partly cultural uses. Dictatorship and democracy In a „decreed friendship“ under the influence of the Soviet Union, the GDR and the People‘s Republic of Poland developed in parallel as socialist brother states at the interface to the West. The social conditions on both sides of the state border were understood to be a „dictatorship of the proletariat“ based on the Soviet model. Accom- panied by supply shortages and the persecution of dissidents, hidden and open resistance to the socialist system developed. Growing together in Europe With the enormous disruptions brought by construction of a new society under market economy conditions, the open border simultaneously gave rise to an opportunity for new, common goals. In this region, the idea of a „European House“ is based on recog- nition of the German-Polish border and bilateral treaties. This unique historical process is impressively reflected in various locations. Frankfurt (Oder) Międzyrzecz Eisenhüttenstadt Fürstenwalde/ Spree Seelow Kostrzyn nad Odrą Zielona Góra Gorzów Wielkopolski Bad Freienwalde Berlin Słońsk Łagów Świebodzin Beeskow Sulęcin Odra Oder Warthe / Warta Odra / Oder Nysa Neiße Cottbus Forst Guben Müncheberg Strausberg 5 Witnica 8 I 24 I 26 1 I 4 I 38 2 3 I 6 7 6 I 32 10 11 12 16 14 13 17 18 19 20 21 23 25 30 28 29 27 31 33 34 35 I 36 37 9 15 22 39 40 41 42 O D E R - W A R T A REMEMBRANCE C O N N E C T S