The exhibition "To Brazil! Backgrounds and traces of a village tragedy in Böhlen 1852" in the University Library of the TU Ilmenau traces a tragic forced resettlement in the 19th century. Texts and pictures by Dieter Lange and Hans-Günther Schneider illustrate the story of those expelled from the Thuringian village of Böhlen to Brazil in 1852 right up to the present day. The exhibition is open Mondays to Saturdays from February 4 to March 27. All interested parties are cordially invited to the vernissage on February 4 and to the exhibition, admission is free. The authors of the exhibition will be present at the vernissage.
The period before and after the German Revolution of 1848/49 was characterized by drastic political, economic and social upheavals in the fragmented small German states - including in the village of Böhlen in the Thuringian Forest. In the turmoil of the revolution and the upheavals of industrialization, many small craftsmen, especially the many weavers living in Böhlen, lost their livelihoods. While a new moneyed elite emerged on the one hand, a dramatic impoverishment set in among the people. After failed harvests, which led to a further deterioration in the livelihoods of many people, there were open protests - and as a result, 152 citizens of Böhlen were forcibly resettled to Brazil.
Hans-Günther Schneider and Dieter Lange have been investigating the "Böhlen blood shame" since 1997. They searched for clues in the village itself, in archives and museums before traveling to Brazil for the first time in 2002 to visit the descendants of the former expellees. The exhibition traces the history of the emigration: Through pictures and texts, we experience the discovery of the unknown new world, we gain insights into the emigrants' first attempts at rapprochement with the Brazilian population and learn of surprising similarities.
All interested parties are cordially invited to the opening of the exhibition on February 4 at 7 p.m. in the University Library in the presence of the authors Dieter Lange and Hans-Günther Schneider. In addition to the exhibition, there will be Brazilian music and a small culinary offering. From 9 p.m., the TU Ilmenau's university film club will be showing the film "Bei den Kaffeepflückern in Brasilien" in the nearby Helmholtz lecture hall. The documentary follows local historians Lange and Schneider on one of their trips to Brazil in 2019. Film author Gerald Backhaus will be available to answer questions after the film.
Exhibition in the University Library Ilmenau :
"To Brazil! Backgrounds and traces of a village tragedy in Böhlen in 1852":
04.02.-27.03.2025 | Vernissage: 04.02.2024, 19:00 hrs.
University Library, Langewiesener Str. 37, 98693 Ilmenau
Contact
Milena Pfafferott
University Library
+49 3677 69-4605
milena.pfafferott@tu-ilmenau.de
