Minister Gentiloni arrived in Berlin today on a mission that includes, besides the opening of the exhibition on the history of Italian military internees, his participation tomorrow in the session titled “Crises as the New Normal? Perspectives of German and European Foreign Policy” of the 4th Berlin Foreign Policy Forum, promoted by the Koerber Foundation.
“Caught between many fires – The history of Italian Military Internees”
One of the most significant moments of Minister Gentiloni’s visit to Berlin will be the inauguration of the permanent exhibition on the history of Italian military internees, to be set up in the former forced labour camp of Niederschoneweide, near Berlin. It is the site where approximately 2,000 forced labourers worked between the Fall of 1943 and the end of WWII.The Schoneweide event not only pays tribute to the memory of approximately 700,000 Italian Military Internees housed in Nazi forced labour camps, but shows the interest and determination in supporting the creation of a culture of shared memory of past horrors. It also stands as a warning for future generations, consistent with the commitment Italy and Germany agreed to undertake in 2012, with a view to putting an end to a painful chapter in our recent history.
The Documentation Centre on Nazi Forced Labour is dedicated to promote remembrance and knowledge about the tragedy that struck nearly 12 million men, women, adolescents and children all over Europe during the Nazi regime.
