Exhibitions and events

Regular events in the East Westphalia-Lippe department include the Detmolder Sommergespräche and participation in the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of National Socialism on 27 January each year.

In addition, various other formats took place. An overview can be found at the bottom of the page.

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Exhibitions and events at the Landesarchiv Nordrhein-Westfalen
Mensch vor einer Ausstellung in der Abteilung Ostwestfalen-Lippe
Landesarchiv NRW / Foto: kundn.de

A poet from Lippe: Book presentation ‘Friedrich Begemann. Im leeren Haus – Dichtungen und Dokumente’ (Friedrich Begemann. In the Empty House – Poems and Documents) with Heinrich Detering and Lisa Kunze

On Monday, 26 May 2025, at 7:30 p.m., Göttingen literary scholars Heinrich Detering and Lisa Kunze will present their selection from the works of Lippe poet Friedrich Begemann, now published by Wallstein Verlag, at the State Archives.

‘I confess that I believe I recognise poetic talent everywhere.’ This is how the influential writer Ludwig Tieck described the debut of Friedrich Begemann, the son of a farmer from Lippe, in 1828. Born near Salzuflen, he attended the Leopoldinum in Detmold. His classmate Grabbe became his first literary role model. The Romantic poet Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué welcomed him as the ‘morning star’ of a revived Romanticism: ‘A young poet has blossomed among us.’ But the man who had been received with such hope died just one year after his first book was published, at the age of only twenty-five. In his fairy-tale verse narratives and melancholic poems, this dreamy latecomer to the Jena Romantic movement bids farewell to the hopes of a generation. Heinrich Detering and Lisa Kunze introduce the work and life of Friedrich Begemann.

Organiser: Natural Science and Historical Association for the Land of Lippe e.V. in cooperation with the Lippe State Library and the Landesarchiv Nordrhein-Westfalen, Department East-Westphalia Lippe.

Time and place: Monday, 26 May 2025, 7:30 p.m. at the Landesarchiv NRW, OWL Department, Willi-Hofmann-Str. 2, 32756 Detmold

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Day of Remembrance for the Victims of National Socialism – 27 January

On 27 January 1945, the Auschwitz extermination camp was liberated by the Red Army. Since 1996, this event has been commemorated nationwide. The North Rhine-Westphalia State Archives, OWL Department, also regularly participates in this commemoration with events and exhibitions.

Key topics in recent years:

  • 2025 "Anders als die Andern (?) Stigmatisiert. Verfolgt. Vergessen."
  • 2023 "Spurensuche § 175"
  • 2020: "Zwangssterilisation und „Euthanasie“ im Nationalsozialismus und ihre Aufarbeitung in OWL"
  • 2018: "Detmold und das Warschauer Ghetto"
  • 2017: "Weiterleben nach dem Überleben -  Die Befreiung der Opfer des Holocaust"
  • 2016: "Felix Fechenbach - die Geschichte eines Demokraten und politisch Verfolgten"

Detmolder Sommergespräche

The Detmolder Sommergespräche (Detmold Summer Talks) have been held since 2004, addressing current genealogical topics to a broad audience beyond the borders of North Rhine-Westphalia. The presentations are usually published.

The contributions to the Detmold Sommergespräche have been published in five conference proceedings to date:

 

Overview

On Tuesday, 19 September 2023, the exhibition ‘ Deutsche aus Russland. Geschichte und Gegenwart’ (Germans from Russia. Past and Present) opened with a reading at the Landesarchiv Nordrhein-Westfalen in Detmold. Irene Langemann read from her novel ‘Das Gedächtnis der Töchter’ (The Memory of Daughters). This was followed on 24 October 2023 by a public workshop on the topic of family research in the context of Russian-German migration.

From 29 August to 15 September 2023, the OWL department presented an exhibition of advertising posters from the Sinalco company. This long-established company was based in Detmold for many years and has left its mark on the city and in the archives of the Landesarchiv. In addition, a magazine tour entitled ‘ Eine Weltmarke im Archiv – Sinalco im Landesarchiv NRW ’ (A global brand in the archive – Sinalco in the State Archive of North Rhine-Westphalia) took place on 6 September 2023.

From 7 May to 6 June 2023, the Landesarchiv presented the art exhibition „Farben der Erinnerung“ (Colours of Memory). The exhibition featured pictures by artists from the Detmold district senior citizens’ facility.

On 30 January 2023, the film ‘Spurensuche § 175’ (Searching for Traces § 175) by Detlev Hamann and Oliver Schulte (Bielefeld) was screened. It deals with the persecution of homosexuals during National Socialism in interviews and biographical sketches. Afterwards, the background to the making of the film and the sources evaluated were presented.

From 26 April to 24 June 2022, the art exhibition ‘Träume – Visionen’ (Dreams – Visions) with works by Veronika Latz, Detmold, was on display in the foyer of the Landesarchiv Nordrhein-Westfalen.

Tag der Archive (Archives Day) took place on 7 March 2020.  

On 5 and 6 March 2020, the conference "Zwischen Ancien Regime und Moderne? Fürstin Pauline zur Lippe in ihrer Zeit." (Between the Ancien Regime and Modernity? Princess Pauline zur Lippe in her time) was held at the East Westphalia-Lippe department.  As part of the commemoration of the victims of National Socialism, departement and the Stadtarchiv Detmold (Detmold City Archives) held a short conference on 4 February 2020 on the topic of ‘‘Zwischen Ancien Regime und Moderne? Fürstin Pauline zur Lippe in ihrer Zeit’’ (Between the Ancien Regime and

As part of the commemoration of the victims of National Socialism the East Westphalia-Lippe Department, and the Detmold City Archives held a short conference on 4 February 2020 on the topic of "Zwangssterilisation und „Euthanasie“ im Nationalsozialismus und ihre Aufarbeitung in OWL".

On Thursday, 7 November 2019, school pupils from the region presented their research findings for the 2018/2019 Federal President's History Competition.

On 30 March 2019, Tag der Regionalgeschichte (Regional History Day) took place at the Ravensberger Spinnerei.

On the occasion of the 118th Deutscher Wandertag (German Hiking Day) in Detmold, the Landesarchiv Nordrhein-Westfalen offered themed tours:
‘Hiking with history – two centuries of hiking in Lippe’
The tours offered a glimpse behind the scenes of the Landesarchiv. Visitors learned how archive material is stored and what treasures are hidden in the magazines. The tours also vividly illustrated how the region has changed as a tourist destination over the last 200 years.

Symposium on 7 June 2018: 
50 Jahre 1968 – Neue Soziale Bewegungen im Archiv (50 Years of 1968 – New Social Movements in the Archives)
2018 marked the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the New Social Movements in 1968. In the wake of the so-called 1968 movement, numerous initiatives and movements shaped the Federal Republic of Germany, above all the ecology, women's, youth centre and peace movements. Even though the centres of these movements were located in the big cities, historian Hans-Gerd Schmidt, among others, has shown that young people in the ‘provinces’ also sought more or less radical social change and tried out new ways of life. This phenomenon was to be illustrated in 2018 in an exhibition at the Brickworks Museum entitled ‘Protest and Alternative Culture in Lippe’ (early March to late June 2018).

On 4 March 2018, the "Tag der Archive" (Archives Day) took place at the East Westphalia-Lippe department in Detmold. Among other things, guided tours, a ‘paper consultation hour’ and an archival education programme were offered. Historian Prof. Dr. Mark Mersiowski gave a lecture on the oldest medieval account books from Lippe, using numerous examples.

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