Andrea Hess, a research assistant at the Münsterbauverein, spoke to contemporary witnesses of the night of the bombing and recorded their memories in her book. Photo: Tabori
Such war experiences can have a lifelong impact on those affected. Did you also perceive it that way?
Hess: Very. Some people have now talked about it for the first time. A woman briefly relived the partial facial paralysis she suffered at the time. An older gentleman said he could smell and taste the dust from back then when he talked about the night of the bombing. You can see it in their eyes when people relive the horror of that time in conversation. It’s like an internal film that takes you completely back in time. In some cases this worried me so much that I called afterwards to make sure that people were not alone with their memories.
The fact that the cathedral in Freiburg survived the night of bombings with little damage is sometimes described as a miracle. Have you discovered this miracle?
Hess: No. Due to the proximity of the bombs, it could not have been intentionally spared and the miracle endures.
Before the night of the bombing: The main portal of the cathedral was secured in this way. Photo: Freiburger Münsterbauverein image archive
What was your motivation for this exhibition?
Hess: : I am responsible for the collection of historical photos here at the Minster Building Association and have often thought that these images from back then and from the destruction should be made public. Now seemed like the right time. I then also visited other archives. Private individuals were not allowed to take photographs after the bombing so that defeats should not be documented. The photos we now see also required some courage from the photographers. Some have never been shown publicly. And every time I’m in the exhibition, I see that it gets people talking to each other. That’s very moving.
The interview was conducted by Bernd Peters
To person: Andrea Hess is a visual artist and, as a research assistant at the Münsterbauverein in Freiburg, is responsible for its archive, library and documentation center. Her book “Otherwise it was quiet. 1944 – Memories of the Bombing” was published in the small series of publications by the Münsterbauverein at Rombach Verlag in Freiburg. It has 100 pages and costs 12.90 euros. The exhibition “Otherwise it was quiet” takes place in the Münsterforum, Herrenstr. 33, in Freiburg until December 21st. It is open from Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with free admission.
Info: To mark the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Freiburg, numerous commemorative events are currently taking place. On November 28th, the SWR Studio Freiburg invites you to a contemporary witness discussion in the Schlossbergsaal from 6:30 p.m. On the side www.muensterbauverein-freiburg.de There are also numerous events organized by the association to commemorate the night of the bombing.
