Obituary

The Lower Saxony Memorials Foundation mourns the loss of its former Managing Director Prof Dr Habbo Knoch

We were shocked to learn of the unexpected death of our former Managing Director Prof Dr Habbo Knoch. He headed the Lower Saxony Memorials Foundation and the Bergen-Belsen Memorial from 2008 to 2014. Against the background of his many years of involvement in civil society in Emsland, he promoted the professionalisation and institutionalisation of Lower Saxony's memorial landscape through his strategic actions during this time. This included, for example, the inclusion of the Bergen-Belsen Memorial in the federal government's institutional funding programme in 2009 and the structural development of the memorial in Wolfenbüttel Prison, including the subsequent construction of a new building. With his commitment, he contributed significantly to the establishment of the Esterwegen Memorial.

In view of the political and social changes, Habbo Knoch has repeatedly initiated projects and fields of work that combine historical content with current perspectives and future-oriented methods. He always thought of remembrance work as a combination of expertise in content and communication to visitors in order to encourage them to engage with National Socialism and its consequences. Even after his move to the University of Cologne, Habbo Knoch actively supported commemoration and remembrance work. In doing so, he repeatedly referred to normative frameworks such as human rights, human education and the fundamental right to dignity.

We experienced him as an approachable, appreciative person of integrity. The survivors saw him as a committed representative of their concerns, and for many of them he became a close friend.

We miss him and our thoughts are with his family, especially his wife and daughter.

The Managing Director and colleagues of the Lower Saxony Memorials Foundation