This page contains automatically translated content.

06/01/2023 | Campus-Meldung

Many perspectives: 125 years of the German Colonial School Witzenhausen

125 years ago, the German Colonial School in Witzenhausen (DKS) was founded in 1898. This marked the beginning of the history of the research and teaching location in the Werra town. At the same time, the institution stands for a colonial past in the context of which serious human rights crimes were committed. With lectures and events, the Department of Ecological Agricultural Sciences reflects on this difficult legacy in the anniversary year.

The photo shows the historic campus in Witzenhausen. Photo: University of Kassel
The historic campus in Witzenhausen. Photo: University of Kassel

The variety of perspectives on this sensitive topic is great and in part controversial. What effect the history has on today's university location and the town of Witzenhausen is just as controversial as the appropriate form to commemorate the history. An open working group of groups and institutions of the university and the Witzenhausen town society has taken on the exchange about these topics and invites to deal with these, partly uncomfortable, questions in view of the anniversary.

For this purpose, the members of the working group organize public events, which all have the same motto: "Witzenhausen and colonialism 1898|2023. From colonial past to present responsibility?

In addition to the Department of Ecological Agricultural Sciences, members include the Weltladen, the Partnership for Democracy in the Werra-Meißner District, the Tropical Greenhouse, the University Association, the History Association, the Witzenhausen City Marketing and the Witzenhausen Postcolonial Group.

The kick-off event will be held on Monday, June 5, from 5 to 9 p.m., under the title "Witzenhausen and Colonialism - What Memory?"
Location: Campus Steinstraße 19, 37213 Witzenhausen.

Further events:
https://goto.uni-kassel.de/go/125_Jahre_Kolonialschule

Background
The German Colonial School (DKS) was closed in 1944. Since 1957, its legal successor is the German Institute for Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture (DITSL), which owns the properties of the former DKS. To the extent that the properties are not used by the institute itself, they are leased to the University of Kassel for the operation of the Department of Ecological Agricultural Sciences as well as to other university-related institutions and other educational institutions in the subject areas of sustainability, international development, environmental and resource management.

 

Contact:

FB 11 Ecological Agricultural Sciences
Dean's Office
Tel.: 05542 - 981211
Mail: dekfb11[at]uni-kassel.de