Veranstaltung zur „Causa Woelbing“

In the organizer's words:

May 30, 1933 goes down in the history of the city of Dortmund: On this day, countless books are burned on Hansaplatz at the behest of the National Socialists. One of the driving forces behind this was Hans Woelbing, a teacher at Bismarck-Realgymnasium (now Max-Planck-Gymnasium) since 1928. After the war, Woelbing made a career in Zweibrücken in the Palatinate, was a member of several political parties and eventually ran a library himself.
Nothing was known in the Palatinate about his Nazi past in Dortmund. This only changed in 2017, when the local daily newspaper "DIE RHEIN-PFALZ" published extensive research on Woelbing and his history. Journalist Andreas Ganter M.A. will report on his findings on Woelbing and his work. In his lecture, the political scientist and theologian will also address the debate that developed as a result of his reporting and the consequences his work had for Zweibrücken's urban society.
At the beginning of the event, Hagen-based author Dr. Birgit Ebbert will introduce the audience to the time of the book burnings with a reading from her novel "Brandbücher" (Gmeiner Verlag 2013) and use her research for the book to build a bridge to the events surrounding Hans Wölbing.

An event as part of the exhibition "Verbrannte Orte - Bücherverbrennung 1933 in Deutschland" from May 8 to June 3, 2026 at the VHS Dortmund. In cooperation with: Arbeitsstelle Zukunft braucht Erinnerung - Jugendring Dortmund, Mahn- und Gedenkstätte Steinwache, Max-Planck-Gymnasium Dortmund, Verbrannte Orte e.V.