Dietmar Osses: Polish Immigrants in Western Germany from 19th century until today

Tuesday, October 28, 7:00 PM
Location: 180 Second Ave, New York, NY 10003
Contact: office@pilsudski.org
tel: 212-505-9077

The presentation describes the history of Polish immigrants who at the end of the 19th century were living Westphalia in Western Germany, the heartland of Polish Immigration in Europe. They developed the most important centre of Polish organizations and cultural life in Germany. But due to a repressive German policy and nationalistic stereotypes the Poles had to struggle with prejudices and oppressions.

At the end of war, about two million Polish Displaced Persons remained in their enemy country Germany. But faced with the new established communist government in Poland, they could not re-migrated to their home country.

The breakdown of the communist governments in the 1980s and 1990s brought a new wave of immigrants from Poland which helped to refresh and rebuild the Polish community in Germany. Today more than two million immigrants from Poland live in all parts of Germany, especially in Berlin, in Westphalia and the Ruhr.

Dietmar Osses is director of the LWL Hannover Colliery / Westphalian State Museum of Industry and Culture in Bochum/ Germany. He studied history, literature and educational science at the Ruhr University in Bochum and worked as a researcher and scientific officer for several museums. He is a member of the advisory council of Porta Polonica, the documentation center of culture and history of Poles in Germany and spokesman of the working group “Migration” of the German Museums Association.

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