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Text: Up to Date, Queer and Feminist Calendar © Borgschulze​/​TU Dortmund
January 27

International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of National Socialism

The anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz extermination camp (January 27, 1945) commemorates the millions of people who were disenfranchised, persecuted and killed by the National Socialist tyranny. In Germany, January 27 was introduced as a day of remembrance in 1996 and designated as the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of National Socialism by the United Nations General Assembly in 2005 (bpb 2020).

The vast majority of the victims of National Socialism were Jewish; of the 1.1 million people who died in Aschwitz, around one million were Jewish. The Sinti*zze and Rom*nja as well as disabled and LGBTI* people who were imprisoned and murdered by the Nazi regime are also commemorated (Boxhammer & Leidinger 2018; Bosold & Hájková 2017; Plötz & Reusch n.d.).

Even though the victims of the extermination camps are often assigned to one group and commemorated as such, they may also have been part of other groups (Hájková 2018). For example, the suffix "lesbian" was added to the names of imprisoned women. The tightening of Criminal Code Section 175 also enabled the systematic persecution of gay, bisexual and other men who had sexual contact with men. Imprisoned in concentration camps, they were marked with the so-called "Rosa Winkel" (Pink Angle) (Arolsen Archives 2025). Men who were marked as homosexual or with the Rosa Winkel could also be Jewish (Urgast 2017).

Feminist remembrance of the victims of National Socialism

From a feminist perspective, gender-specific violence, sexualized violence and control over reproduction and the body are particularly striking as central components of Nazi policy. Women, girls and queer people experienced persecution not only because of their "race" or group, but also because of their gender and their ascribed role as women giving birth, workers and sexual subjects (Bock 2010).

Since the 1970s, feminist and queer memorial initiatives have drawn attention to the fact that lesbian women and other queer FLINTA* in particular were not visible for a long time and barely featured in the traditional culture of remembrance and reappraisal. As a result of developments in the women's movement, their experiences are being given greater consideration in research, memorial sites and official forms of commemoration (Braun 2025; Stiftung Brandenburgische Gedenkstätten n.d.).

Women who were considered "inferior" during the Nazi era were affected by social stigmatization, classist selection and the deprivation of educational and upward mobility opportunities. It is therefore important to remember not only female and queer victims. Structural inequalities that still exist today in education, science and society must also be made visible. (Braun 2025; Polis 1993; Rath 2024).

Ongoing reappraisal of the role of scientific institutions in the Nazi regime

The role and responsibility of scientific institutions during and after the Nazi regime is part of an ongoing process of reappraisal and research (Jung 2020). The use of forced laborers, the expulsion of Jewish academics and students as well as research and teaching in line with National Socialist ideology are just a few examples of these academic analyses (Benz 2013). The procedure for the revocation of academic degrees, which was based on the "Law on the Revocation of Naturalization and the Revocation of German Citizenship" of 1933, is also the focus of the universities' reappraisal and rehabilitation work. Jewish doctoral candidates and professors in particular had their doctorates revoked in this way. Homosexuality and abortion were also grounds for the revocation of doctoral degrees under criminal law sections 175 and 218. Many universities officially rehabilitated those affected in the late 1990s (Weisbrod 2004).

Last updated: January 2026

Holo-Voices: Encounter. Ask. Pass on.

The Holo-Voices project opens on January 27, 2026. At Zeche Zollverein in Essen, visitors can listen to the personal stories of Holocaust survivors in a "holographic theater" thanks to state-of-the-art AI and hologram technology and talk to the holograms of the contemporary witnesses. The stories of survivors are irreplaceable. The project gives them a voice for eternity so that the experiences of National Socialism can continue to be passed on to younger generations. Scientists from the Institute of Journalism and the Department of Computer Science at TU Dortmund University are among those involved in the HOLO-VOICES project of the NRW Ministry of Science.

Holo-Voices

Events for Holocaust Remembrance Day in Dortmund 2026

Holocaust Memorial Day

  • When: January 27, 2026 at 6.00 p.m.
  • Where: Stadt- und Landesbibliothek - Studio B; Max-von-der-Grün-Platz 1-3; 44137 Dortmund
  • At this commemorative event, the actress Tirzah Haase will read selected excerpts from Anne Frank's diaries. She will be supported musically by Trio Nefesch.

 

Musical remembrance on Holocaust Memorial Day in St. Martin's

  • When: January 27 at 7.30 pm
  • Where? Kirche St. Martin at Gabelsbergerstraße 32 in Dortmund
  • The musicians Ingala Fortagne (vocals) and Pina B. Rücker (percussion) perform together with Tobias Bredol on piano and Sven Vilhelmsson on double bass. Their different soundscapes combine to create a haunting musical dialog about loss and hope.

 

Panel discussion on Jewish life today - "Jewish life 81 years after Auschwitz: threatened, guarded, preserved?"

  • When: January 27, 2026 from 6 to 7.30 pm
  • Where? Bürgerhalle of Dortmund town hall (Friedensplatz 1)
  • Experts will talk about the dangers of anti-Semitism and its impact on Jewish life in Germany.
  • Important note: Registration required

Sources (in German)

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