Honor for Rahnsdorf artist and pioneer: new plaques revealed!

Honor for Rahnsdorf artist and pioneer: new plaques revealed!

Rahnsdorf, Deutschland - On June 13, 2025, two plaques were inaugurated at the Rahnsdorf cemetery to remind you of the life performance of the painter and art teacher Johann Fischer-Jung and the founder of the gas works Emil Weiß. The initiative for installing these boards came from the Köpenick home club, while the financing was ensured by means of funds from the Kiezkassen Treptow-Köpenick. District Mayor Oliver Igel gave a speech during the ceremony in which he highlighted the importance of the two personalities for the region.

Johann Fischer-Jung (1907–2001) lived in Rahnsdorf for many years and shaped generations of young people in East Berlin as a trained painter and art educator. His impressionist landscape pictures impressively capture nature and the surrounding area of ​​Rahnsdorf and contribute to the artistic identity of the district. Emil Weiß (1857–1945) was a pioneer of the technical infrastructure in Rahnsdorf, who built a gas plant in 1908, which ensured the gas supply for Rahnsdorf, Wilhelmshagen and adjacent settlements.

memory culture in the district

The plaques should not only appreciate the outstanding performance of Fischer-Jung and White, but also emphasize the lived consciousness and the culture of memory in the Treptow-Köpenick district. This initiative is part of a more comprehensive movement that aims to strengthen public memory and to make the commitment to local history visible. In a further step, new commemorative and information boards were inaugurated in Köpenick on November 20, 2024, which are commemorating the Jewish cemetery and the former Jewish retirement home. District Councilor Marco Brauchmann emphasized the importance of these boards for the history of the region.

The Jewish cemetery in Köpenick, acquired in 1894 by the "Synagogue Community Cöpenick", suffered destruction during the National Socialist regime. While the repaired gravestones were repaired in 1948, the facility soon followed. The memories of the tragic events that took place during this time have been made visible by the new information and information boards, which are supposed to maintain the memory of the Jewish community in Köpenick.

yesterday and today

The examination of the history and the importance of the culture of remembrance are also of great relevance at the national level. The international day of commemoration for the victims of the Holocaust, which will be celebrated in Berlin on January 27, 2025, as well as various monuments, such as the monument to the murdered Jews in Europe and the monument to the Sinti and Roma pursued under Nazi ideology, testify to the challenges and the ongoing debates about the memory and the education about the past.

The need for an active examination of one's own history is essential, especially against the background of the increase in group -related misanthropy. The culture of remembrance should not only convey teachings from the past, but also to call a call to future generations to actively work for tolerant and inclusive society. In this context, Wolfgang Benz will publish new food for thought in the spring of 2025, which should stimulate reflection on these topics.

Overall, the inauguration of the memorial plaques in Rahnsdorf and the newly installed information systems in Köpenick shows how important it is to keep memory and to promote lively, integrative culture of remembrance.

For further information, please visit the press release on berlin.de href = "https://n-ag.de/posts/berlin/treptow-koepenick/erinnerungskultur-neue-bänktafeln-in-koepenick-einweiht"> reporting on n-ag.de as well as the Analysis of the BPB .