Visit to the war gravesite in Ysselsteyn/NL
The trainees of the city Rheine visited the German war gravesite in Ysselsteyn accompanied by the mayor Dr. Peter Lüttmann and the training manager Florentine Kühs-Sandmann. This was not without reason. Every year in November, the trainees collect money for the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e. V. (German War Graves Commission) as part of the house and street collection for the preservation of war graves.
Already on the way there, the regional manager of the War Graves Commission, Jens Effkemann, reported on the diverse range of tasks of the association. Effkemann had previously planned the excursion, which was sponsored by the “Remembrance and Peace” Foundation, with a great deal of commitment.After a short welcome in the new visitor center, the guided tour began, during which some individual fates and stories of the dead buried in the approximately 32,000 graves were examined in more detail. In the graves lie German fallen soldiers of both world wars, but also civilians. Who is a victim, who is a perpetrator, is often mixed in a gray area. The many fates and the fact that the majority of those buried were just 18 years old created a thoughtful feeling in the group. A stop was also made at the grave of a fallen man from Rheine.After the impressive tour and a midday snack, the trainees were able to learn about other fates in the exhibition of the visitor center as well as view original items from World War II.Afterwards, the trainees visited the International Youth Meeting Center of the German War Graves Commission, which is located directly next to the war graves site and is used for the historical-political educational work of the association. There, the trainees from Rheine also received a special honor. After all, for many decades, with the support of Mr. Wilfried Hötzel (district manager of the War Graves Commission), they have been collecting donations every year for the association, which relies on such donations for almost 70% of its income. Mayor Dr. Peter Lüttmann took this opportunity to mention that he, too, had already done this during his training at the city of Rheine.
As a thank you for the commitment shown over many years, the trainees were presented with a bronze medal by Mr. Effkemann. A great surprise for all involved!At the end of the day, a visit to the War Museum in Overloon was on the agenda. Here the history of the Second World War was presented from a Dutch perspective in an interesting exhibition. A large number of military vehicles are also displayed here for the visitors.In the late afternoon the travel group made itself again on the way back direction Rheine. All agreed: It was a successful and informative excursion!
Photos: Press Office