Public exhibition opening and student award ceremony

On 26 January 2026, the Deutsche Schule Athen officially opened two travelling exhibitions under the motto “Lebendige Erinnerung / Ζωντανή μνήμη” to commemorate the victims and survivors of the Holocaust and the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The exhibitions, “Die Deportation der Juden und Jüdinnen aus Ioannina” and “Griechische Biographien zwischen Besatzung und Holocaust”, remained on display in the school foyer until 5 March 2026.

The opening brought together German and Greek guests from education, academia, diplomacy and the arts. Student contributions from DSA erinnert underlined that remembrance is an active responsibility for the present and future. As Olivia Buerger (Grade 11a) stated, the task of the younger generation is to carry forward the voices of eyewitnesses and survivors and “not to let them fall silent, but to strengthen them.”

The event was closely linked to REM HERITAGE, as Grade 11 students had previously worked on different aspects of the Holocaust in History lessons and transformed their learning into 20 short film narratives. These videos were submitted to an internal school competition. The best contributions were awarded during the opening ceremony by a jury consisting of H.E. Andreas Kindl, German Ambassador to Greece, Dr. Alexandra Patrikiou and Annedore Dierker, Head of School at DSA.

After the official programme, the curators Sabine Hillebrecht and Dr. Alexandra Patrikiou offered guided tours through both exhibitions. The event formed an important public milestone within DSA’s REM HERITAGE activities, linking exhibition-based remembrance, student reflection and digital storytelling.