When does the opening of the special exhibition take place?

The opening takes place on 27.09.2026 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

Where does the event take place?

At the memorial site Topf & Söhne, Sorbenweg 7, 99099 Erfurt.

Is admission free of charge?

Yes, entry to the memorial site Topf & Söhne is free.

What is the exhibition about?

The exhibition presents eight refugee stories and connects historical experiences from 1945 with narratives from young people in an asylum accommodation.

Are there accessibility guidelines?

Yes, the memorial site is accessible, including an elevator, ramp, wheelchair-accessible restroom, and parking for guests in wheelchairs.

Who will speak at the opening?

There will be an exhibition discussion with Christian Lehsten, the curator of the exhibition.

Refugee Talks Opens in Erfurt: Eight Stories about Flight and Arrival

Name: Opening of the Special Exhibition Refugee Talks
Start: 2026-09-27T13:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-09-27T15:00:00+02:00
Location: Erinnerungsort Topf & Söhne

A New Perspective on Flight, Arrival, and Memory in Erfurt

With the opening of the special exhibition Refugee Talks at the memorial site Topf & Söhne on September 27, 2026, a sensitive and highly relevant topic comes to the forefront: flight as a historical experience and as a present-day narrative. The exhibition discussion with Christian Lehsten, curator of the exhibition, opens up a space for reflection where personal life stories, historical documents, and societal responsibility come together.

When Memory Speaks to the Present

The exhibition provides insights into eight refugee stories. Four elderly individuals recount their childhood experiences of fleeing in 1945, while four younger voices remember arriving at an asylum seeker accommodation in Dabel. Thus unfolds a multifaceted narrative of loss, hope, alienation, and the often arduous search for a place that can become home.

Particularly impressive is the connection between contemporary history and current relevance. The biographical perspectives make visible how closely intertwined historical experiences of displacement are with today's migration realities. Those who are interested in exhibitions with societal relevance will experience here not a detached observation, but a dense aesthetic experience between witness and empathy.

A Place of Education and Critical Reflection

The memorial site Topf & Söhne sees itself as a historical learning site with a clear educational stance. The special exhibition is embedded within the framework of the Intercultural Week of the state capital Erfurt and integrates into the educational work of the institution. Particularly in the interplay between the exhibition discussion and site specificity, an atmosphere is created that not only informs but also keeps open questions about responsibility, exclusion, and democratic attitudes.

The perspective on refugee stories gains additional depth here, as the memorial site itself stands for the engagement with complicity, human dignity, and historical enlightenment. The curation focuses on clarity, authenticity, and historical resonance. The result is an art experience in the broader sense: documentary, touching, and intellectually awake.

On-Site Visit: Compact, Accessible, and Free of Charge

The event takes place on Sunday, September 27, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. The memorial site Topf & Söhne is located at Sorbenweg 7 in Erfurt and is easily accessible. Admission to the memorial site is free. Accessibility is also well-developed: there is step-free access, an elevator, a mobile ramp, a wheelchair-accessible restroom, and a parking space for guests in wheelchairs.

This provides ideal conditions for a culturally demanding visit: as reflection on history, as an encounter with the present, and as an invitation to see societal questions anew in the museum.

Conclusion: Those who do not see flight as an abstract buzzword but rather as a human experience will find in Refugee Talks an impressive starting point. The exhibition connects historical depth with current urgency and definitely merits a live visit in Erfurt.