Despite extensive court proceedings and investigative committees in several parliaments, there are still many unanswered questions about the terror of the “National Socialist Underground” (NSU). That is why a documentation center has long been demanded, and the coalition in Saxony supports this concern. Now there is a concept for this. It could arise in Chemnitz and Zwickau, where the terrorists went into hiding. The cities have concerns.
In an action ten years after the NSU terrorist cell self-exposed, pictures and names of the murder victims were shown in early November 2021 in the city center of Zwickau.
The plans for a documentation center about the terror of the right-wing extremist NSU and its victims are taking shape: One feasibility study according to it could be opened in 2028 in Chemnitz and Zwickau. This is where the members of the “National Socialist Underground” (NSU) once went into hiding. As possible locations a former factory building in Chemnitz and the former royal infirmary in Zwickau are mentioned.
The former royal hospital in Zwickau could become a location for the NSU documentation center.
Surviving relatives and those affected by right-wing violence should be included in the memorial site
A memorial, remembrance and learning site for the NSU complex is planned, said Robert Kusche from the RAA Sachsen association, which developed the study with other actors on behalf of the state. The center should also contain a place for the assembly and self-organization of those affected by right-wing, racist and anti-Semitic violence. “It is important to continuously involve and involve the bereaved and survivors of the NSU terror,” said Kusche. Their stories need space and a hearing.
What is important is the continuous inclusion and integration of the bereaved and survivors of the NSU terror.
Robert Kusche | Association RAA Saxony
RAA association: Saxony predestined for documentation center
According to Kusche, Saxony is predestined as a location for such a center for several reasons. Not only was the NSU’s base of operations here, including numerous supporters, it was also where the attacks were planned and carried out. The conditions that made this possible are far from being worked out in the region. “And unfortunately Saxony was and still is the center of neo-Nazi organizations.”
The NSU trio
The NSU core trio originally came from Jena, but went into hiding in Chemnitz and Zwickau at the end of the 1990s and raised money in the region with robberies. Between 2000 and 2007, right-wing terrorists in Germany murdered at least ten people: eight small business owners of Turkish origin and one small business owner of Greek origin, as well as a policewoman.
Mayors of the cities of Chemnitz and Zwickau have reservations
The mayors of Chemnitz and Zwickau, Sven Schulze (SPD) and Constance Arndt (citizen of Zwickau) expressed concerns about the new concept. The coming to terms with the crimes committed by the NSU should not only be related to Chemnitz and Zwickau, they warned. Rather, she must also keep an eye on other counties and regions as well as authorities and institutions. They were also skeptical about the proposal to set up a foundation for the center and called for the respective city societies to be involved in the further process.
Artist Süngün: The center can trust relatives restore
“The documentation center for the NSU complex is long overdue and necessary,” said the artist Ülkü Süngün in Dresden. She reported on conversations with relatives of the murder victims and survivors of the attacks. It is a unique opportunity to restore trust and enable healing. To do this, the commemoration must be kept alive and those affected must be involved in all decision-making processes as responsible actors and be represented in the committees.
The documentation center for the NSU complex is long overdue and necessary.
Ulku Sungun | artist
The center will cost around 36 million euros
Saxony’s Minister for Democracy, Katja Meier (Greens), described the study as a “milestone” on the way to such a center. The CDU, Greens and SPD agreed in the coalition agreement to support a documentation center for the victims of the NSU. The study recommends setting up a foundation. It should be financed by Saxony and the federal government and possibly other federal states. The investment costs are estimated at up to 36.4 million euros. In addition, 42 positions with personnel costs of around 2.75 million euros per year are required.
In order for the documentation center to become a reality, it urgently needs the support of the federal government, said Meier. The Free State alone cannot do this. In addition, the actors want to create a first interim within the framework of Chemnitz as European Capital of Culture as early as 2025.
MDR (kbe)/dpa