The Walk in Germany 2016
Thursday and Friday 4 and 5 February 2016.
The line of a Nazi death march to Belsen transposed to Somerset and returned. A 2 day walk on that line. Where the Somerset walk intersected the line, interventions. An intimate performative walk-in-witness exploring resonances on the 71st anniversary of that death march.
Leaving from the site of the slave labour camp at Ovelgönne in Lower Saxony and walking over two days to the Bergen Belsen memorial.
Thursday 4 Feb 2016: The walk began at the site of the slave labour camp, Judenlager Waldeslust in Hambuhren, Ovelgönne. Part of the site is now occupied by a garden centre: Zühlke. The first day of walking ended walking across the river Aller and into Winsen an der Aller, at the memorial stone, see the news story.
Friday 5 Feb 2016: The walk began at the memorial stone in central Winsen where there is a memorial to the death march that passed through here in April 1945and the brave acts of local people enabling the escape of some French PoWs who were hidden nearby . The walk finished by entering the historic enteance ot Belsen camp a final closing gathering took place at the Memorial.
Route details:
Approximately 12 miles in total: 5 miles day 1, 7 miles day 2.
Click to view interactive route and stations of the walk
The stations:
At each station we gathered sounds and images, pause to reflect, bear witness and share with the world. .
- 5 stations of the walk between Ovelgönne and Winsen an der Aller:
- Bearing Witness;Inheritance; Justice; Slavery;Resistance
- 5 stations of the walk between Winsen an der Aller and Belsen
- Indifference; Exile; Belonging; Hope; Liberation