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“The feeling of security in this warm courtyard on December 20, 1945, is unforgettable.”

Donnerstag, 18. Dezember 2025
Gezeichnetes Bild von einem Jungen und seiner Mutter vor einer Scheune.
© Dokumentationszentrum Flucht, Vertreibung, Versöhnung; Grafik: Kristina Wedel

Dear visitors,

Dear friends of the Documentation Centre for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation,

 

 

As 2025 draws to a close, we would like to thank you for your great interest and valuable support. Your stories, contributions, and memories are of immeasurable value to us all. Your visits to our exhibitions and your participation in our educational programs, events, and digital offerings have made this year a great success.

Eighty years since the end of World War II means eighty years of flight and expulsion. The fates of the people behind these events move us deeply—then as now. The story of Reinhard Wegener, who found refuge in Groß Sonnendeich in December 1945 after fleeing East Prussia, is a touching example of this. You can read more about his Christmas as a refugee child below.

We look forward to continuing our dialogue with you in the coming year, learning together and remembering together. In the meantime, we wish you and your loved ones a peaceful holiday season and a happy New Year!

 

 

Warm regards,

Dr. Gundula Bavendamm, Director,
and the team of the Documentation Centre

Reinhard Wegener with his mother Gertrude in 1948 (left) and in 2022 at the farm of the Hell's (right).
Reinhard Wegener with his mother Gertrude in 1948 (left) and in 2022 at the farm of the Hell's (right).© Dokumentationszentrum Flucht, Vertreibung Versöhnung; Foto: Reinhard Hell

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATION

“The feeling of security in this warm courtyard on December 20, 1945, is unforgettable.”

On the bitterly cold day of February 6, 1945, Reinhard Wegener, then just under 5 years old, had to flee Braunsberg in East Prussia with his mother Gertrude and sister Rosa-Maria across the frozen Frische Haff. The family endured months of violence, hunger, and fear before arriving in Groß Sonnendeich in Schleswig-Holstein on December 20, 1945. After weeks of hardship in freight trains and camps, they reached the farm of Claus Michael Hell. Reinhard Wegener recalls: "It was warm, smelled of spiced food, and we were free. Escape and expulsion were behind us."

For him, home is not a place, but a feeling: “Home is the warmth of the farm, the smell of hay and animals, the clinking of cow chains and horse halters.” He will never forget Christmas Eve 1945: "Our mother told us the Christmas story and assured us that we would soon be celebrating Christmas properly again. Then the Hells knocked on the door and brought us some surprises. It was a wonderful Christmas after so many hardships."