The history of the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 goes back to 1948. Together with exiled publicists and authors from the Association for the “Protection of German Authors in Switzerland” (“Schutzverband Deutscher Schriftsteller in der Schweiz”), which included Walter Fabian and Jo Mihaly, Hanns Wilhelm Eppelsheimer decided to found a “library for emigration literature”. Eppelsheimer, the first director of the Deutsche Bibliothek in Frankfurt am Main founded at that time, wanted to establish such a library of emigration literature at his own institution. The German Exile Archive at the German National Library can now look back on a history spanning more than 70 years:

2023: Frankfurt am Main

• “Out of Exile“ - Film showing and lecture
  On 12 December, the German Exile Archive screened the film "Out of Exile – The Photography of Fred Stein" to mark the eponymous exhibition on Fred Stein at the German National Library. The film spotlights the exiled photographer's life and work and also shows the efforts of Peter Stein, Fred Stein's son, to rescue his father's work from oblivion. After the film showing Peter Stein, who directed and produced the film, talked about his father's life and work.
• The presence of exile – Friedmann asks Claudia Roth
  On 6 December, there was a lively discussion between Michel Friedman and Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media Claudia Roth as part of the "Friedman Asks" series. The debate focused on why remembrance is important to us, how it manifests, and what role politics, education and culture should play in this context.
• Returning (home)? Returning emigrants on the radio in the post-war years (with original sounds)
  On 25 October, Prof. Dr. Joachim-Felix Leonhard gave a lecture on the experiences of returning emigrants on and with post-war radio and talked about the implications and impact of this type of historical testimony on exile research, particularly on returning emigrants research after the end of the war.
• Exhibition opening: “Frag nach, Just ask!“ – Digital interactive interviews with Inge Auerbacher and Kurt S. Maier“
  The exhibition “Frag nach, Just ask! Digital interactive interviews with Inge Auerbacher and Kurt S. Maier“ was launched on 7 September at an event attended by 350 guests. The evening's guests of honour, contemporary witnesses Inge Auerbacher and Kurt S. Maier, had travelled all the way from the USA especially for the event. Sylvia Asmus, Karen Jungblut (USC Shoah Foundation), Inge Auerbacher and Kurt S. Maier offered insights into the creation of the interactive interviews during a discussion moderated by Doris Renck (hr2 kultur). Actor Iris Berben read excerpts from texts by the two eyewitnesses, while musical accompaniment was provided by jazz pianist Omer Klein.
• “Banned Words“. Discussion and reading with Liao Yiwu.
  On 15 July, as part of the exhibition “Burnt Locations | Banned Words“, Liao Yiwu talked to Sylvia Asmus about censorship and suppression of opinions in his home country, and his life in exile in Germany. Johannes Wördemann accompanied the discussion with readings from a selection of Liao Yiwu’s works. Liao Yiwu framed the event with flute and singing bowl.
• “Democracy – an endangered accomplishment?“ Panel discussion with Prof. Dr. Dr. Michel Friedman, Prof. Dr. Andreas Fahrmeir and Prof. Dr. Lisbeth Zimmermann.
  On 11 May the German National Library hosted an event run jointly by the German Exile Archive 1933-1945 and the Volkshochschule Frankfurt am Main. The panel discussion looked at the state of democracy and whether it is fit for the future. The distinguished guests explored key questions around this topic in a critical discussion. Marion Kuchenny moderated the event.
• “The Burnt Poets“ A book presentation and reading with Jürgen Serke and Hanns Zischler.
  On 9 May 2023 Jürgen Serke marked the 90th anniversary of the book burnings of 1933 by presenting his epoch-defining work “Die verbrannten Dichter.” (The Burnt Poets), which has been published in a new edition by Wallstein Verlag. In it, Serke traces the life stories of forgotten authors whose works were burned by the Nazis, such as Irmgard Keun, Else Lasker-Schüler and Ernst Ottwalt. Jürgen Serke and Thedel von Wallmoden presented the new edition, which has been redesigned and expanded to include visual material from the Serke collection. Actor Hanns Zischler read selection passages.
• “Tribunale als Trauma. Die Deutsche Sektion des Sowjetischen Schriftstellerverbands" (Tribunals as Trauma. The German Section of the Soviet Writers’ Union). Book presentation.
  On 30 March 2023, editors Anne Hartmann and Reinhard Müller presented their work “Tribunale als Trauma. Die Deutsche Sektion des Sowjetischen Schriftstellerverbands” (Tribunals as Trauma. The German Section of the Soviet Writers’ Union), published in 2022 by Wallstein Verlag. The publication presents documents from the party group of the German Section of the Soviet Writers' Union which shed light on a dramatic event which became a beacon of light in September 1936.
• “Erna Pinner: Curious Creatures.“ Discussion and reading.
  At an event held in partnership with Weidle Verlag on 2 March 2023, Marc Wurich and Barbara Weidle talked about Erna Pinner and the new edition of her book "Curious Creatures", which was published by Weidle in 2022. Erna Pinner's book “Curious Creatures”, containing both texts and illustrations, was published by Jonathan Cape (London) in 1951. The Frankfurt-born author enjoyed great success as an artist, writer and illustrator in the 1920s. Born into a Jewish family, she fled into exile in Britain in 1935. From 1936, she made a name for herself there as an illustrator of popular science publications. The actress Friederike Ott read from letters and texts by the exiled writer.
• “The presence of exile – Friedman asks: What is justice?”
  In one of the new series of events of the German Exile Archive 1933-1945, the publicist and jurist Michel Friedman talked with prominent guests about the present of exile. The starting point in each case will be a historic artefact from the Exile Archive’s holdings. The series of events commenced on 9 February 2023 a discussion between Michel Friedman, when he asked former Federal Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger “What is justice?”
• “Thomas Anz: life and death. Marcel Reich-Ranicki’s speech to the German Bundestag in January 2012.”
  Our exhibition on Marcel Reich-Ranicki “One Life, Many Roles” closed with a talk given by the literary critic and biographer of Reich-Ranicki, Thomas Anz on 12 January 2023. The talk discussed the eventful life of the famous literary critic and looked back on Reich-Ranicki as an eyewitness to the past. Thomas Anz spoke about Marcel Reich-Ranicki’s early experiences and how he survived the Warsaw Ghetto, before turning to Reich-Ranicki’s last major public appearance when he addressed the German Bundestag on the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of National Socialism in January 2012.
• Acquisition of the literary estate of Karl Schwesig
• Donation of the partial literary estate of Leo Brauner
• Donation of the collection of Priska Jones
• Donation of the literary estate of Walter Liebenthal
• Donation of the collection of the exile researcher Karl-Heinz Danner

2022: Frankfurt am Main

• “Christmas with the Reich-Ranickis“. An evening with Eva Demski
  On 9 December, Eva Demski looked back on her long-standing friendship with Marcel and Teofila Reich-Ranicki during another event organised in association with our temporary exhibition ”Marcel Reich-Ranicki. One life, many roles”.
  Eva Demski lives in Frankfurt, and from 1993 onwards regularly invited the Jewish Reich-Ranickis to her house over Christmas. Joined by other guests, the celebrations were always emphatically secular and marked in an “devoutly unholy” way. In a conversation with Reich-Ranicki’s biographer, Uwe Wittstock, she gave a delightful and entertaining account that touched on some of the less well-known aspects of the literary critic. Eva Demski accompanied her personal recollections with readings from some of the texts she had written for and about Marcel and Teofila.
• “Fast frei zu sein ist doch etwas Herrliches“: Die Geschichte von Ursel Bud in französischer Internierung“ (‘It’s wonderful to be almost free’: Ursel Bud’s story of French internment.) Book presentation and reading.
  On 10 November 2022, Dr. Kathrin Massar presented her book about Ursel Bud.
  When World War II breaks out, the young German emigrant Ursel Bud is classified as “undesirable” in France. Decades later, letters preserved among the documents held by the American Guild for German Cultural Freedom and archived by the German National Library’s German Exile Archive 1933–1945 testify to her attempts to flee to the USA. The letters raise a number of questions: about Ursel Bud’s life in Berlin and Paris, her acquaintance with Walter Benjamin and Magnus Hirschfeld, her experience of internment, her survival as a Jew in occupied France – and how these stories can be told when no living witnesses are left.
  Kathrin Massar’s doctoral thesis focused on composer Erich Itor Kahn’s letters from exile. As a research assistant at the German Exile Archive 1933–1945, she worked on the exhibitions “Arts in Exile” and “Exile. Experience and Testimony”. Nowadays, she works as a freelance author and editor in Frankfurt am Main.
• OVID Prize awarded to Ruth Weiss
  On 15 September 2022, the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 and the PEN Centre of German-Speaking Writers Abroad invited guests to attend the presentation of the OVID Prize. This year’s prize was awarded to author and civil rights campaigner Ruth Weiss, as an “outstanding representative of the German-Jewish generation”. Weiss was forced to flee into exile in South Africa, where she campaigned against apartheid in the 1970s and 1980s. The laudation was given by her editor Lutz Kliche, who has also accompanied her on numerous book tours.
  The award ceremony took take place during the “Tage des Exils“ (Days of Exile 2022).
  Transcript of the laudation (only available in German): Laudatio auf Ruth Weiss - blog.dnb.de
• “Tage des Exils 2022“ (Days of Exile 2022)
  From 1 to 17 September 2022, the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 hosted the Days of Exile. This programme of events and encounters, which was developed with the general public in mind, took place in Frankfurt am Main, the first time that it has been held outside Hamburg since its launch there in 2016. The German Exile Archive 1933–1945 hosted the Days of Exile in cooperation with the Körber Foundation, on whose initiative the event was established.
  Numerous Frankfurt-based organisations and institutions contributed exhibitions, concerts, lectures, encounters, readings, podium talks, theatre productions and film screenings to the programme, some parts of which were multilingual. What they all had in common was that they focused on the topic of exile.
  Patron Parastou Forouhar formally opened the Frankfurt Days of Exile on 1 September. The international artist, who came to Germany from Iran in 1991, acts as a mediator between cultures and is committed to fighting repression and violence. The highlight of the opening event was a concert by the string quartet MRIYA, the founding ensemble of the Ukrainian Exile Orchestra.
  The event marking the close of the Days of Exile in Frankfurt on 17 September took place at the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 and featured journalist, documentary maker and author Can Dündar, who read from his graphic novel “Erdoğan”. Afterwards, Dündar talked about his work and life in exile. Dündar is one of the most prominent Turkish-speaking journalist and has been living in exile in Germany since 2016. Dündar is one of the most prominent Turkish-speaking journalist and has been living in exile in Germany since 2016.
  Further events in the context of the Days of Exile (selection):
  05.09.: “Franz Oppenheimer on the co-existence of religions“: lecture and guided tour.
  08.09: “Remembering (hi)stories of flight and exile“: Panel discussion with Asal Dardan (author), Dr. Anne von Oswald (We Refugees Archive), Cornelia Vossen (Exile Museum Berlin) and Dr. Sylvia Asmus (German Exile Archive 1933-1945).
  10.09.: “Art behind barbed wire – music and lyrics from Gurs“: Concert and conversation
• “Reich-Ranicki in criticism - A controversial quartet discusses his work”
  The German Exile Archive 1933–1945 marked the temporary exhibition “Marcel Reich-Ranicki. One life, many roles” by inviting four renowned literary critics to the German National Library in Frankfurt am Main for a critical and entertaining debate. On 23 June 2022, Elke Heidenreich, Hubert Spiegel, Volker Weidermann and Uwe Wittstock came together to discuss the works published by their famous colleague. They talked about Reich-Ranicki’s books “Herz, Arzt und Literatur” (Heart, Physician and Literature) (1987), “Lauter Verrisse” (Nothing but Scathing Reviews) (1970), “Meine Schulzeit im Dritten Reich” (My School Days in the Third Reich) (1982), “Thomas Mann und die Seinen” (Thomas Mann and His Family) (1987), and his autobiography “Mein Leben” (My Life) (1999).
• Annual conference 2022 of “KOOP-LITERA Deutschland”
  From 22 to 24 June 2022, the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 at the German National Library in Frankfurt am Main organised and hosted the annual conference of “KOOP-LITERA Deutschland”.
  “KOOP-LITERA Deutschland” is part of “KOOP-LITERA international”, a network of German, Luxembourgian, Austrian and Swiss institutions which acquire, catalogue and preserve estates and autographs and make them available for public use. The network’s objectives are to professionalise the working environment by coordinating and strengthening cooperation and synchronisation both nationally and internationally.
  The 9th symposium of German literary archives and related institutions focused on the topics of digitisation and cooperative virtual projects. It also included presentations by the Frankfurt-based institutions involved.
• Exhibition opening Marcel Reich-Ranicki. One Life, Many Roles.
  On 2 June 2022, the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 launched its temporary exhibition “Marcel Reich-Ranicki. One life, many roles”. It explores Marcel Reich-Ranicki’s complex character and shows him in the various roles he adopted or was forced into throughout his life. The seven chapters show him as a contemporary witness, a person seeking a homeland, a critic, a literary educator, a friend, an adversary, a media star – and as someone who described his own relationship with Judaism as ambivalent. The temporary exhibition was curated by Uwe Wittstock, author of the book “Marcel Reich-Ranicki. The Biography”, and Sylvia Asmus, Head of the German Exile Archive 1933–1945. After greetings by Carla Ranicki and Ida Thompson – Marcel Reich-Ranicki’s granddaughter and daughter-in-law – curators Sylvia Asmus and Uwe Wittstock gave an introduction to the exhibition. To accompany the event, actor Jochen Nix read passages from Reich-Ranicki’s texts and discussions. Writer Eva Demski and FAZ editor Jürgen Kaube then talked about their memories of the prominent critic who was their friend. Hagit Halaf (violin) and Christoph Langheim (viola) provided the musical accompaniment to the opening event.
• Lecture: “I still think about it every day”. The so-called Kindertransporte (children’s transports) to the UK
  On 26 April 2022, historian Andrea Hammel gave an illuminating insight into her research on the two cultures of remembrance surrounding the so-called Kindertransporte (children’s transports) to Britain in 1938/39.
  The story of the so-called Kindertransporte (children’s transports) and the rescue of around 10,000 refugee children in 1938/39 remains an important part of the British people’s collective memory. However, some of the assumptions on this topic do not align with the historical facts. During her lecture, Andrea Hammel discussed the UK rescue mission from both German and British perspectives, thus piecing together the true story.
  Dr. Andrea Hammel is a lecturer at Aberystwyth University in Wales and Director of the Centre for the Movement of People. She has been researching and publishing literature on the subject of the so-called Kindertransport (children’s transport) and exile in the UK for more than 20 years.
  The lecture was part of the temporary exhibition “Child emigration from Frankfurt”.
• Book presentation “Verbrechen ohne Namen” (A nameless crime).
  On 13 April 2022, Dan Diner, Norbert Frei and Sybille Steinbacher presented their book “Ein Verbrechen ohne Namen. Anmerkungen zum neuen Streit über den Holocaust” (A nameless crime. Comments on the new dispute surrounding the Holocaust), which was published in 2022 by C.H. Beck. Their discussion addressed the current debate on Holocaust remembrance in Germany, which a number of historians recently criticised as “catechism”. The authors emphatically countered these theories and showed that there is solid historical evidence to support the argument that the Holocaust is unprecedented.
  Dan Diner is Professor for modern history and has lectured at the universities of Jerusalem and Leipzig. Professor Norbert Frei is Senior Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at the University of Jena. Sybille Steinbacher is Professor for contemporary history and Director of the Fritz Bauer Institute. She lectures at the University of Frankfurt am Main.
  The event was a cooperation with the Fritz Bauer Institute and the research centre “Normative Orders” at the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main.
• „Hinter der "Weltbühne" Hermann Budzislawski und das 20. Jahrhundert“ (“Behind the Weltbühne - Hermann Budzislawski and the 20th Century”)
  Author Daniel Siemens is a Professor of European History at Newcastle University in the UK and has written several books on 20th century history. Originally published in 2009, his book “Horst Wessel. Tod und Verklärung eines Nationalsozialisten" (“The Making of a Nazi Hero: The Murder and Myth of Horst Wessel”) has been the subject of intense discussion both in expert circles and beyond. It was awarded the “Geisteswissenschaften International” (Humanities International) prize and was translated into English in 2013. His study “Stormtroopers: A New History of Hitler’s Brownshirts”, originally written in English, was published in 2017 by Yale University Press. German, Polish and Chinese translations followed in 2019.
  On 7 April 2022, he presented his biography of Hermann Budzislawski, published by Aufbau Verlag. During his research, Prof. Siemens encountered the left-wing intellectual Hermann Budzislawski, who survived more changes in regime and made more of an impact than any other, be it as the successor to Carl von Ossietzky and Kurt Tucholsky as editor-in-chief of the journal Weltbühne after 1933, as one of Dorothy Thompson’s colleagues in the USA, or as one of the figures who shaped socialist journalism in the GDR. With astonishing adroitness, Hermann Budzislawski managed not only to survive all existential threats but also to repeatedly gain influence in a variety of countries. His biography outlines the complex panorama of the 20th century, explores the scope for freedom allowed by socialist politics, and asks questions about the price of political adaptation and resistance.
• Uncle Joe’s return to Sögel
  Psychoanalyst Dr. Kurt Grünberg (Sigmund Freud Institute) gave a lecture on 31 March 2022 on so-called Kindertransporte (children’s transports) and the transmission of transgenerational trauma. The focus was on the story of his uncle Joe, who escaped to England with a Kindertransport. The children were saved – we often hear this in conversations about the so-called Kindertransporte (children’s transports). But what does a rescue of this kind mean for the people who managed to escape the fate that met most of their relatives? Were they prepared for what awaited them? Would it even have been possible to prepare them? How did they fare in exile? And after they grew up, what did the escapees teach their own children – particularly at a subconscious level? Dr. Kurt Grünberg's lecture focused on the concept of scenic memory of the Shoah and the story of his uncle Joe, who escaped to England on a so-called Kindertransport (children’s transport)
• Reading: Renate Hebauf “Du wirst nach Amerika gehen“ (You’re Going to America)
  On 10 March 2022, Renate Hebauf presented her publication “Du wirst nach Amerika gehen: Flucht und Rettung unbegleiteter jüdischer Kinder aus Frankfurt am Main in die USA zwischen 1934 und 1945” (You’re going to America: Escape and rescue of unaccompanied Jewish children from Frankfurt am Main to the USA between 1934 and 1945), in the lecture hall of the German National Library. Her book deals with the topic of child emigration from Germany to the USA during the Nazi era. The book tells the previously unwritten story of Jewish children who were separated from their parents and taken from Frankfurt am Main to the USA between 1934 and 1945. The author draws on numerous life stories to describe the often tragic emigration of children from Germany, most of whom never saw their parents again. Set against a backdrop of historical events, she tracks the different escape routes they took and their stopping points along the way besides telling a number of individual rescue stories. The book discusses political and social contexts along with the efforts made and difficulties experienced by the aid organisations. Numerous former refugee children and some of their descendants also have their say. Moreover, the book takes a close look at countries such as Belgium, France, Spain and Portugal, which became important stopping points for many of the children, who in some cases spent several years there. The book presentation was part of the accompanying programme of the exhibition “Child Emigration from Frankfurt”.

• Event celebrating the 100th birthday of Guy Stern

  On 14 January 2022, German studies professor and exile researcher Guy Stern celebrated his 100th birthday. On 18 January, friends and acquaintances from Germany and abroad, including the current and former Consuls General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Chicago, Wolfgang Mössinger and Herbert Quelle, came together to congratulate Stern at a virtual event organised jointly by the German Exile Archive and the PEN Centre of German-Speaking Writers Abroad. Laudators Rolf Altmann, Dr. Sylvia Asmus, Prof. Barbara Mahlmann-Bauer und Dr. Thomas Schnabel looked back over Guy Stern's impressive life and shared personal memories. An extensive commemorative publication has been issued in Stern's honour and was presented to him by co-editor Dr. Marlen Eckl.

• Donation of the archive of Konrad Feilchenfeldt
• Acquisition of the literary estate of Amos Nathan
• Donation of the archive of Hans-Ulrich Dillmann
• Donation via testamentary decree of the archive of Klaus Voigt
• Donation of the fractional estate of Charlotte Bondy
• Donation of the fractional estate of Mathilde Maier
• Acquisition of the fractional literary estate of Heinrich Cohn
• Acquisition of the partial literary estate of the family Schächter-Sulzbacher
• Donation of the fractional literary estate of Olga Grave-Gabrielli
• Donation of the archive of Ulrich Diederichs

2021: Frankfurt am Main

• An evening for Dr. Ruth
  The exhibition “Child Emigration from Frankfurt” pays tribute to the lives of six children from Frankfurt am Main. Karola R. Siegel (later Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer) was one of them. In 1939, at just ten years of age, Karola had to board a special train at Frankfurt’s main station and leave Germany all by herself. That was how she escaped persecution by the Nazi regime. She spent the rest of her childhood in a children’s home in Switzerland – always on the understanding that her presence would only be tolerated temporarily. At the end of World War II, she had to leave Switzerland altogether. After stops in Palestine and France, Karola finally reached New York, where she became America’s best-known sex therapist, Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer. Now aged over 90, she is still a celebrated media star.
  In a conversation with Dr. Sylvia Asmus, Director of the German National Library’s German Exile Archive 1933–1945, Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer gives insights into her eventful life. To the recording of the event
• Book presentation: Karina Urbach “Alice’s book. How the Nazis stole my grandmother’s cookbook”
  Once a successful cookbook author, Viennese Jew Alice Urbach loses her home, family and career under the Nazis. She flees to England, where she ekes out a living as a servant and later runs a refugee asylum for Jewish girls. She gives cookery lessons in an attempt to distract her charges from the upheaval of war. After the war, Alice goes to New York, gives cookery courses in San Francisco, and presents her best recipes for pastries and boiled beef on American television. She even finds her book in a Viennese bookshop. But who is the man whose name is emblazoned on the cover and who claims to be the author?
  Research leads Alice’s granddaughter Karina Urbach to archives in Vienna, London and Washington, where she finds letters, audio tapes and film documents which were long believed lost. They open a hitherto unknown chapter in the history of German Nazi crimes. PD Dr. Karina Urbach talks about her book and research.
• Don’t wait for better times! Ovid Prize awarded to Wolf Biermann
  In 2017, the PEN Centre of German-Speaking Writers Abroad (formerly the German PEN Group in Exile) began presenting the OVID Prize to honour the literary life’s work of a chosen author. The prize is named after the Roman poet Ovid, who was banished into exile because of his free spirit.
  In 2020, the songwriter and lyricist Wolf Biermann was awarded the OVID Prize by the PEN Center of German-Speaking Authors Abroad for his life's work. The festive award ceremony, which had to be postponed due to the Corona pandemic, was made up for in October 2021.
  The laudation was given by writer Marko Martin. Wolf Biermann gave a concert after the event.
  Event organised by the German National Library's German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in cooperation with the PEN Centre of German-Speaking Writers abroad.
  With the kind support of Gesellschaft für das Buch e.V., the circle of friends of the German National Library.
• Temporary exhibition “Child emigration from Frankfurt“
  The exhibition shows that each story of child emigration is an individual and unique story. You’ll only be alone for a little while, everything will be OK – this was the hope with which parents sent their children on the so-called Kindertransporte (children’s transports). Between November 1938 and the beginning of World War II in September 1939, the Kindertransporte enabled around 20,000 children and adolescents to escape the Nazi regime. The question that thus frames the exhibition is how we can remember child emigration today. It focuses on six children whose life stories could hardly have been more different: Lili Fürst, Renate Adler, Elisabeth Calvelli-Adorno, Josef Einhorn, Karola Ruth Siegel and Liesel Carlebach.
• Reading “Februar 33. Der Winter der Literatur”
  Uwe Wittstock presented his book “Februar 33. Der Winter der Literatur”. This was followed by a reading from the book given by Tomasz Robak.
  It went by in the blink of an eye. February 1933 was a month that also came to define everything for Germany’s writers. Uwe Wittstock tells the history of an expected and yet still unimaginable death. Day by day, he traces how the splendid literary life of the Weimar era gave way to a long winter, and how the net tightened ever more around Thomas Mann, Bertolt Brecht, Else Lasker-Schüler, Alfred Döblin and many others.
  Always staying close to the real-life characters, Uwe Wittstock paints a mosaic of events and brings back to life the atmosphere of those days. Who cosied up to the new rulers, who had to fear for their life and flee? Based in part on unpublished archive material, this book creates a frighteningly vivid image of a frightening era.
• An evening for Eva Wechsberg: Book presentation and discussion with contemporary witnesses
  In cooperation with Hentrich & Hentrich Verlag, the German Exile Archive 1933-1945 presented the biography on Eva Wechsberg published this year.
  Born in 1922, Eva Wechsberg grew up in Leipzig with her parents and younger brother. She experienced the rising tide of anti-Semitism and the November pogroms in 1938. In 1939, together with her mother and brother, she managed to flee to the USA, where her father – who had previously emigrated there – awaited them. In the USA, Eva Wechsberg started a family and became active in the Jewish community. To this day, Eva Wechsberg feels a connection to the city of Leipzig.
  On this evening, Dr Gabriele Goldfuß, Dr Andrea Lorz and Dr Sven Trautmann will present their book. Eva Wechsberg will attend in person and talk about her life.
• An evening for Ulrich Becher. Reading and discussion commemorating the book burnings.
  The German Exile Archive 1933–1945 will be devoting an evening to writer Ulrich Becher to mark the 88th anniversary of the book burnings in May this year. The event will also remember the many other Marxist, Jewish, pacifist and artistically ostracised authors whose works were publicly burned and who not seldom had to start new creative endeavours in exile.
  Ulrich Becher, born 1910, was at the beginning of a promising career as a writer when – according to his own recollections – his first published work, the well-received collection of novellas “Männer machen Fehler”, published in 1932 by Rowohlt, fell victim to the Nazi book burnings in May 1933. By that time, Becher was already in exile: he had left Germany after the Reichstag fire in February 1933, initially living in Austria then fleeing to Switzerland after the annexation of Austria in 1938. Because he was not permitted to stay there permanently, his journeys in exile took him to Brazil in 1941 and then to the USA in 1944, where parts of his “New Yorker Novellen” were written. Becher returned to Europe in 1948 and made his permanent home in Basel from 1954 until his death in 1990.
• Justin Steinfeld “Ein Mann liest Zeitung” (A Man Reads a Newspaper)
  Virtual reading from Justin Steinfeld’s novel “Ein Mann liest Zeitung” with Dr. Wilfried Weinke and Tomasz Robak.
  The autobiographically marked novel “Ein Mann liest Zeitung” (A Man Reads a Newspaper) tells the story of Jewish merchant Leonhard Glanz from Hamburg. Forced to remain inactive while in exile in Czechoslovakia, he spends his days reading newspapers. The story follows Leonhard Glanz’s thoughts on the political events reported in the daily press, his observations on what he sees in the street, and his memories of life in the home country that is now lost to him. Author Justin Steinfeld (1886–1970) also came from Hamburg, where he worked as a journalist and the editor of a weekly newspaper. Following a period of imprisonment in the Fuhlsbüttel concentration camp, he was finally able to escape to Prague in 1933. While in exile, he wrote articles and reports that appeared in various anti-Fascist newspapers. In 1939, he fled across Poland to England, where he lived until his death in 1970. His only novel, “Ein Mann liest Zeitung”, was first published from his estate in 1984 and is still an impressive testimony to his life in exile even today.
• Donation of the partial literary estate of Hilda Maria Martin and her daughter Denise
• Donation of the partial literary estate of Heinz Viktor Rosenfeld
• Acquisition of the literary estate of Samuel Perl
• Donation of the partial premature literary estate of Renata Harris
• Donation of the partial literary estate of Elisabeth Karr
• Donation of the partial literary estate of Ernest Jouhy
• Acquisition of the fractional literary estate of Lothar Hofmann

2020: Frankfurt am Main

• „Viellieber Zauberer“ – „Liebes Erikind“
  Irmela von der Lühe and Uwe Naumann about Erika and Thomas Mann
  Erika Mann was Thomas Mann’s firstborn child. He had a special love for her all his life. Even from an early age, she was permitted to tell him plain truths that would have been unacceptable from any other person, and in later years she was his right hand for almost all his works and public appearances. Thomas Mann appreciatively called her his “daughter-adjutant”.
  Prof. Dr. Irmela von der Lühe, curator of the exhibition “Erika Mann. Cabaret Artist – War Correspondent – Political Speaker”, and Dr. Uwe Naumann, editor and author of numerous works about the Mann family, talk about Thomas and Erika Mann’s unusual father-daughter relationship and read from their correspondence.
• Exhibition “Erika Mann. Cabaret Artist – War Correspondent – Political Speaker”
  The exhibition tells the story of Erika Mann’s life and work with special attention to her steadfast championship of freedom and democracy.
  Biographical documents, photographs, film clips and original recordings are presented, introducing a feisty woman until the end of her life.
• Exile in the Federal Republic of Germany. Conditions and challenges for artists.
  Virtual event: Presentation with discussion
  Millions of people all over the world have been forced into exile; many of them are artists. Quite often, their art is one of the reasons why they have to escape. These refugees also face immense challenges in their country of exile: any success and recognition they may have enjoyed in their home country is no longer relevant, and they have to adjust to a new language, a new public and a new environment. They also have to familiarise themselves with the peculiarities of the German cultural scene. However, exile also offers opportunities, not only for artists, for whom it can provide inspiration for new creative endeavours, but also for culture and the arts in Germany.
  The study, which was commissioned by Monika Grütters, Minister of State for Culture and the Media, in order to obtain a more detailed picture of the living situation of persecuted artists, focuses first and foremost on living and working conditions in exile, funding structures and funding systems. It also makes specific recommendations as to how the artists’ living and working conditions can be improved still further.
  Scientists Laura Lotte Lemmer M.A. and Prof. Dr. Jochen Oltmer from the Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies (IMIS) at the University of Osnabrück now present the results of their study.
• Exhibition: “… the wind sets down its bag in another land …” – Herta Müller. Collages
  In cooperation with Herta Müller, the German Exile Archive 1933-1945 presented a selection of her collages, which take up the phenomena of the border and exile. The exhibition was on view from 29 November 2019 to 28 March 2020.
  Herta Müller’s collages cross boundaries. They blur the distinctions between image and text, poetry and prose, literal and figurative meaning. However, they do more than break through formal and aesthetic constraints; in terms of content, they also engage repeatedly with borders, border crossings, flight and exile.
  The exhibition also included the series "Mondallein gefangen sein", dedicated by Herta Müller to the Chinese poet, photographer and painter Liu Xia, who lives in exile in Germany. In the virtual exhibition “Künste im Exil” (“Arts in exile”) you can find a video interview with Herta Müller and Liao Yiwu.
• Donation of the partial literary estate of Helmut Hirsch
• Donation of the fractional estate of Lili Fürst
• Acquisition of the archive of Kristine von Soden
• Donation of the archive of Claus Dieter Krohn
• Acquisition of the literary estate of Robert Hans Olschwanger
• Acquisition of the archive of the family Uhlfelder
• Donation of the literary estate of Elisabeth Reinhuber-Adorno with family archive

2020: Leipzig

• Listening station on the topic of exile on the forecourt of the German National Library in Leipzig
  In front of the German National Library building at Deutscher Platz in Leipzig, the German National Library's German Exile Archive 19331945 installed a listening station devoted to the subject of exile on 6 October 2020.

  The listening station was developed and realised in collaboration with media artist Jürgen Czwienk. The listening station can be accessed free of charge; visitors can use a hand crank to generate their own electricity and listen to four audio works. Similar listening stations on various topics have been set up all over the world. Another such station, which is also devoted to the subject of exile, was installed in front of the German National Library in Frankfurt am Main at the end of 2019.

2019: Frankfurt am Main

• Thomas Mann: German listeners!
  On the forecourt of the German National Library in Frankfurt am Main, the German Exile Archive 19331945 of the German National Library inaugurated a listening station on the topic of exile on 17 December 2019.
  The listening station was developed and realised in collaboration with media artist Jürgen Czwienk. The electricity for playing the audio tracks is generated by a hand crank. Similar listening stations on various topics have been set up all over the world. To date, the listening station in front of the German Exile Archive’s permanent exhibition in the vestibule of the German National Library is the only one dedicated to the topic of exile.
• Presentation of a new edition of her works and reading with Ulrich Weinzierl, Felicitas Hoppe and Anna Thalbach: "The Red Countess Hermynia Zur Mühlen - The rediscovery of a marvellous storyteller and feisty woman"
  Aristocrat, Communist, Catholic, indomitable Nazi opponent and émigré: Hermynia Zur Mühlen was born in Vienna in 1883 as Countess Folliot de Crenneville and died in 1951 while exiled in England. Held in high esteem by Joseph Roth and Karl Kraus, she was an outstanding figure in 20th century German literature.
  This newly published edition invites readers to reacquaint themselves with this highly regarded political commentator and publicist. Editor Ulrich Weinzierl and author Felicitas Hoppe will present the edition, from which actor Anna Thalbach will read selected passages.
  This is a joint event organised by the Wüstenrot Stiftung, the German Academy for Language and Literature, Zsolnay Verlag and the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 at the German National Library

• Talk by Thomas B. Schumann: "German artists in exile. Thomas B. Schumann's 'Memoria' collection"
  Around one thousand of the roughly ten thousand creative artists forced into exile by the Nazis were visual artists. Since 1945, most of them have been forgotten – unfairly so, as demonstrated by the more than seven hundred works in Thomas B. Schumann's 'Memoria' collection. The publisher, author and winner of the 2017 Hermann Kesten Prize uses impressive visual images to illustrate his talk on the origins and focus of his collection.
  Event organized by the German National Library’s German Exile Archive 1933–1945

• Opening of the exhibition: "Oskar Maria Graf: Rebel, global citizen, storyteller"
  The German Exile Archive 1933–1945 presents an exhibition by the Literaturhaus München (Munich House of Literature) in collaboration with the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek and the Monacensia in the Hildebrandhaus
  The exhibition presents the Bavarian poet Oskar Maria Graf (1894–1967) as an international, cosmopolitan and yet rebellious author. The exhibition focuses on his time in exile and the question of what constitutes the "true home". From 1933 to 1938, Graf lived in Vienna and Brno before emigrating to New York, whose diversity and vitality he loved.
  As an author of global literary repute, he wrote his most famous works while in exile – texts of great relevance in today’s global political climate and well worth re-discovering.
  The exhibition by the Literaturhaus München in collaboration with the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek and the Monacensia in the Hildebrandhaus is visiting the German Exile Archive 1933–1945

• Book presentation and talk with Wolfgang Benz, Johannes Czwalina and Dan Shambicco: "Nie geht es nur um Vergangenheit"
  There are now only a few living witnesses of World War II, and soon we will only be able to hear second-hand accounts. In the book "Nie geht es nur um Vergangenheit" ["It’s never just about the past"], former refugees who now live close to the trilateral border between Germany, France and Switzerland or whose escape routes took them through this area talk about their life-changing experiences.
  They speak of cowardice and denunciation, yet also of courage and helpfulness. The book gives a voice not only to the last remaining Holocaust survivors and their children, but also to descendants of perpetrators who still suffer today as a result of the crimes committed by their ancestors.
  "Nie geht es nur um Vergangenheit" makes it clear that the past and the present cannot be considered separately.
  Editors Wolfgang Benz, Johannes Czwalina and Dan Shambicco present their latest publication and read passages from the book.
  Event organized by the German National Library’s German Exile Archive 1933–1945

• Touring exhibition
  1 February 2019: Opening of the touring exhibition “Exile. Experience and Testimony“ at the Mount Holyoke College; Williston Memorial Library; South Hadley, Massachusetts

  15 March 2019: Opening of the touring exhibition “Exile. Experience and Testimony“ at the Feuchtwanger Memorial Library; Los Angeles, California

• Donation of the literary estate of Walter Sachs
• Donation of the partial literary estate of Gustav and Elisabeth Beuer
• Acquisition of the partial literary archive of the Bialik-Loge, Tel Aviv
• Donation of the literary estate of Heinrich Zimmermann
• Donation of the literary estate of Liselotte Marshall
• Acquisition of the fractional literary estate of Max and Dorota Konstein
• Acquisition of the partial literary archive of Reinhard Kaiser

2019: Leipzig

• Book presentation and talk with Wolfgang Benz, Johannes Czwalina and Dan Shambicco: "Nie geht es nur um Vergangenheit"
  There are now only a few living witnesses of World War II, and soon we will only be able to hear second-hand accounts. In the book "Nie geht es nur um Vergangenheit" ["It’s never just about the past"], former refugees who now live close to the trilateral border between Germany, France and Switzerland or whose escape routes took them through this area talk about their life-changing experiences.
  They speak of cowardice and denunciation, yet also of courage and helpfulness. The book gives a voice not only to the last remaining Holocaust survivors and their children, but also to descendants of perpetrators who still suffer today as a result of the crimes committed by their ancestors.
  "Nie geht es nur um Vergangenheit" makes it clear that the past and the present cannot be considered separately.
  Editors Wolfgang Benz, Johannes Czwalina and Dan Shambicco present their latest publication and read passages from the book.
  Event organized by the German National Library’s German Exile Archive 1933–1945

2018: Frankfurt am Main

• Book presentation: "Hermann Broch – Frank Thiess. Letters from an intellectual friendship"
  With Paul Michael Lützeler and Thedel von Wallmoden
  Hermann Broch was already in his mid-40s when he published the first volume of his novel trilogy "The Sleepwalkers" in 1930. In 1928, he made the acquaintance of Frank Thiess in Vienna; Thiess was one of the Weimar Republic's most successful authors. After the annexation of Austria, Broch had to flee to the USA because of his Jewish origins. Thiess, on the other hand, believed that he was unable to leave Germany. The friendship that developed between them was placed on a firmer footing between the two World Wars and continued after 1945. Their long correspondence is remarkable for the openness with which they criticised their books, and reflects a time of extensive political and social upheaval.
  Paul Michael Lützeler, Professor of German and Comparative Literature at Washington University in St. Louis (USA), and Thedel von Wallmoden, founder and director of the Wallstein Verlag publishing
  company, present this recently published correspondence.
  An event organized by the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in cooperation with the Wallstein Verlag publishing company and the Academy of Sciences and Literature in Mainz

• Book presentation: "Rettet wenigstens die Kinder"
  After the November pogroms in 1938, around 20,000 Jewish children from Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia were rescued by the so-called 'Kindertransporte' ('children's transports'). Their life stories and the fates of their families are the focus of the book "Rettet wenigstens die Kinder" ("At least save the children"). A musical backdrop to the event will be provided by pianist Professor Dr. Joachim Reinhuber, whose mother was rescued by a Kindertransport, and his son, baritone Noah Reinhuber.
  About half of the children rescued came to England, as did Renata Harris, whose mother Grete was deported and murdered by the Nazis.
  Event organized by the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in cooperation with the project Jewish Life in Frankfurt am Main

• Reading: "Lieber und verehrter Onkel Heinrich" ("Dear and esteemed Uncle Heinrich")
  This reading, which accompanies the temporary exhibition "Mon Oncle. Klaus and Heinrich Mann", focuses on one specific aspect of the Manns' multifarious family history: the relationship between Heinrich Mann and his oldest nephew Klaus Mann.
  Inge Jens and Uwe Naumann, both acknowledged experts on the Mann family, read excerpts from letters and texts by Klaus and Heinrich Mann and provide insights into a relationship characterised more by intellectual affinity than by personal closeness.
  Event organized by the German National Library’s German Exile Archive 1933–1945

• Reading: "Robbed of a home?!"
  Between 1933 and 1945, around 500,000 people were forced to leave the territory controlled by the Nazi dictatorship and go into exile. The homes they left on their way into exile had already been taken away from them many times. Numerous exhibits from the permanent exhibition "Exile. Experience and Testimony" bear witness to this, and actors Jana Schulz and Michael Schütz will be reading from them this evening.
  One thing the refugees had in common was that they were ostracised and persecuted. However, their experiences of exile were varied and highly personal: experiences of rifts and loss yet also of new beginnings and gains. The reading provides multifarious insights into the experience of being robbed of one's home, and also into the hopes for a new beginning in exile.
  The reading will be accompanying the conference "Exile Archives and Museums".
  Event organized in cooperation with hr2-kultur as part of the exhibition "Legalised Theft. The Exchequer and the Plundering of Jews in Hesse 1933–1945" at the Historical Museum in Frankfurt. An exhibition by the Fritz Bauer Institute and the broadcasting company Hessischer Rundfunk

• Exhibition opening: "Mon Oncle. Klaus and Heinrich Mann" - Monacensia exhibition formerly on display in the Hildebrandhaus (Munich) now in the German Exile Archive 1933–194
  The exhibition "Mon Oncle. Klaus and Heinrich Mann" showcases the relationship between Heinrich Mann and his oldest nephew Klaus Mann. It documents the life stories of two writers who shared a close political bond and who, while in exile, became important representatives of the artistic resistance against Nazism. Along with the period of exile, the exhibition also covers the Weimar Republic and the post-war years.
  The exhibition, which was first shown in the Monacensia library in the Hildebrandhaus, is now on display in the German Exile Archive 1933–1945

• Reading and presentation of the Ovid Prize to the prize winner Herta Müller
  The German PEN International Centre of German Writers Abroad is presenting the OVID Prize for the second time. This year the Nobel literature laureate Herta Müller is being honored for her life's work. The laudatory speech is being given by the literary scholar Guy Stern, who won the prize last year. The purpose of the OVID Prize is to promote the principles laid down in the charter of PEN International. The award is named after the Roman poet Ovid who was banished into exile because of his writings.
  Event organized by the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 of the German National Library in cooperation with the German PEN International Centre of German Writers Abroad

• Reading and discussion with Martin Wuttke, Sylvia Asmus and Hans-Willi Ohl: "Widerstand erzählen: Anna Seghers 'Das siebte Kreuz'"
  Narrate the story of resistance – is what Anna Seghers did in her book. Act in the here and now is the message of this novel, which Anna Seghers wrote in exile from 1938. Dr. Sylvia Asmus, Head of the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 of the German National Library, and Hans-Willi Ohl, Chairman of the Anna-Seghers-Gesellschaft, explore the story behind the writing of the novel and its impact. The actor Martin Wuttke will read extracts.
  Event organised by hr2-kultur and the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 of the German National Library as part of the "Frankfurt liest ein Buch" event.
  Hosted by: Ruthard Stäblein (hr2-kultur)

• Opening of the permanent exhibition: "Exile. Experience and Testimony"
  "Exile. Experience and Testimony" – For the first time in its more than 60-year history, the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 of the German National Library is opening a permanent exhibition.
  Welcome speech: Dr. Elisabeth Niggemann, Director General of the German National Library
  Welcoming address: Prof. Monika Grütters MdB, Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media
  Video message from contemporary witness Ernest Glaser
  Speech: Dr. Doron Rabinovici: "Das Versagen der Heimat"
  Introduction to the exhibition: Dr. Sylvia Asmus, Head of the German Exile Archive 1933–1945
  Music: Vassily Dück, accordion
  What does it mean to have to go into exile? What awaits one there? Does exile ever finish? And what remains of exile? Between 1933 and 1945 some 500,000 people were forced into exile from the areas governed by the Nazi dictatorship. The German Exile Archive 1933–1945 has been specifically conceived to provide a multiperspective view of exile.
  Embedded in a prologue and an epilogue, the exhibition is divided into three main thematic chapters: Exodus – In exile – After exile. Each exhibit tells the story of a specific historical experience.
  A timeline, a world map and tablets at the reading stations provide historical, geopolitical and biographical background information on the exhibits. In the epilogue, the story behind the testimonies themselves takes centre stage. How were they handed down and how did they find their way into the Archive?

• Activation of the virtual permanent exhibition of the German Exile Archive 1933–1945: “Exile. Experience and Testimony”

• Donation of the partial literary estate of Siegfried Sudhof

• Acquisition of the fractional estate of Juda Ari Wohlgemuth

• Acquisition of the partial literary estate of Arthur Seehof

• Donation of the fractional estate of the Verband deutschsprachiger Schriftsteller in Israel

• Acquisition of the partial literary estate of Adin Theilhaber

• Acquisition of the partial literary archive of the Persona-Verlag

• Acquisition of the partial literary estate of Elsa Gabba

• Donation of the partial literary estate of Roberto Schopflocher

• Touring exhibition
  18 May 2018: Opening of the touring exhibition“Exile. Experience and Testiomony“ at the Loyola University, Chicago, for the conference of the North American Society for Exile Studies (NASES).

  Despite visa requirements and a restrictive quota system that limited immigration options depending on the country of origin, the USA was the most important country of exile during the National Socialist era, admitting a total of 130,000 to 140,000 German-speaking refugees.

  The touring exhibition is based on the permanent exhibition of the German Exil Archive 1933–1945
  The touring exhibition is a part of the “Year of German-American Friendship Initiative 2018/19” organised by the German Federal Foreign Office, the Goethe-Institut, and the Federation of German Industries.

  12 June 2018: Opening of the touring exhibition “Exile. Experience and Testimony“ at the German American Heritage Museum of the USA; Washington, DC

  27 August 2018: Opening of the touring exhibition “Exile. Experience and Testimony“ at the German Society of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  13 November 2018: Opening of the touring exhibition “Exile. Experience and Testimony“ at the University of New Hampshire; University Library; Durham, New Hampshire

2017: Frankfurt am Main

• Lecture by Wilhelm von Sternburg: "Walther Rathenau – Leben und Werk eines konservativen Liberalen"
  Born 150 years ago, the future foreign minister of the Weimar Republic, Walther Rathenau, became the representative of a new middle class that was to play a crucial role in the economic awakening of Germany and in deciding the path taken by the European states in the First World War. Yet he always remained an outsider - not least as a Jew in a society suffused with latent and soon virulent anti-Semitism. When Walther Rathenau was shot down in broad daylight by the extreme right in 1922, democratic Germany gathered for the last time in mass protest against the racist madness and the voices of violence that would eventually destroy the German Republic.
  Journalist Wilhelm von Sternburg talks about the life and work of a conservative liberal who reflected the contradictions of his era

• Reading by Albert M. Debrunner: "Zu Hause im 20. Jahrhundert – Hermann Kesten"
  Hermann Kesten (1900-1996) was a major figure of the last century. A friend of Erich Kästner, Joseph Roth and Ernst Toller, an author, publisher and chief editor at the Kiepenheuer publishing house in Berlin, Kesten emigrated in 1933 to Paris shortly after the seizure of power by the Nazis. In 1940 he then managed to flee to the United States. There he was involved in founding the Emergency Rescue Committee (ERC). The records of the ERC are now held in the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 of the German National Library. In 1953 Hermann Kesten returned permanently to Europe, although he never lived again in Germany. He was a major figure of West German post-war literature and wrote numerous novels, short stories and essays. Albert M. Debrunner's biography now provides the first account of Kesten's entire life.
  Event organised by the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 of the German National Library in cooperation with the NIMBUS. Kunst und Bücher publishing house

• Reading and award presentation: „Alles wandelt sich – Echos auf Ovid“
  Two thousand years ago the Roman poet Ovid died while in exile at the Black Sea. In Metamorphoses, the Books of Transformations, he created a work that remains relevant to this day. Two thousand years later, the German PEN International Centre of German Writers Abroad (formerly German PEN Club in Exile) invited members of the German-speaking PEN centres to explore the impact which Ovid's work has had on their own literary cosmos by creating their own texts. Four of the participating authors – Renate Ahrens, Susanne Fritz, Gisela Holfter and Utz Rachowski – will be presenting their texts at the event.
  In addition, the PEN Centre will be presenting the OVID Award for the first time, with the first prize being awarded in 2017 to the literary scholar Professor Guy Stern for his life's work. The laudatory speech will be given by Renate Ahrens. Gabriele Alioth will be compering the event.
  With the kind support of Gesellschaft für das Buch e.V.
  
  
• Book presentation: „Und draußen weht ein fremder Wind...“ Über die Meere ins Exil
  Persecuted by the Nazis, significant numbers of Jewish women went into exile where they faced many challenges. Dr. Kristine von Soden explores this aspect of exile on the basis of diaries, letters, poems, unpublished pictures and texts and testimonies of female Jewish emigrants contained in the literary estates held by the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 of the German National Library in Frankfurt am Main.
  
  
• Talk: „Trotz alledem“ – Zum 100. Geburtstag von Ernesto Kroch. Talk by Wolfgang Benz and conversation with Eva Weil-Kroch
  The life of Ernesto Kroch is also the story of a double exile. In his early youth he was already active in the communist and anti-fascist movement. In 1938 he fled via Italy and France to Uruguay. In exile he remained politically active, even after the military coup in 1973. The military dictatorship forced Kroch to flee again. He returned to Germany in 1982, but then went back to Uruguay after the end of the military dictatorship. Ernesto Kroch actively campaigned for a democratic society right up to his death on 11 March 2012. His literary estate has been in the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 of the German National Library since 2016.
  
  
• Symposium: „… AUF EISIGEM BERGFIRST TANZEN …“ – Symposium on the work and impact of Ludwig Meidner
  Ludwig Meidner (1884-1966) is one of the most important representatives of urban Expressionism and one of the most prominent Jewish artists of the 20th century.
  The German Exile Archive 1933–1945 of the German National Library and the Jewish Museum Frankfurt (which manages the artistic estate of Meidner in its Ludwig Meidner Archive) are holding a joint academic symposium.
  
  
• Talk: „Entartete Kunst“ 80 Jahre danach. Anmerkungen zu einem epochalen Ereignis
  The talk by Dr. Mario-Andreas von Lüttichau (Museum Folkwang) is part of the symposium on the work and impact of Ludwig Meidner, organised by the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 of the German National Library in cooperation with the Jewish Museum in Frankfurt.

2016

• The two exile collections of the German National Library (the "German Exile Archive 1933–1945" in Frankfurt and the "Collection of Exile Literature 1933–1945" in Leipzig) are merged, both thematically and organisationally.

2016: Frankfurt am Main

• Companion event to the exhibition "DEUTSCH UND JÜDISCH – Momentaufnahmen der deutsch-jüdischen Geschichte": Bertha Pappenheim (1859-1936) - Frauenrechtlerin, Schriftstellerin und Sozialarbeiterin
  Dr. Natalie Naimark-Goldberg (Research Fellow at the Leo Baeck Institute Jerusalem)
  Prof. Dr. Christian Wiese (Vice Chairperson of the German Board for Scientific Research of the Leo Baeck Institute).
  
  
• 6 December: Exhibition opening: "DEUTSCH UND JÜDISCH – Momentaufnahmen der deutsch-jüdischen Geschichte"
  The German Exile Archive 1933–1945 of the German National Library presents an exhibition of the Leo Baeck Institute New York | Berlin
  Welcome speech: Dr. Elisabeth Niggemann, Director General of the German National Library
  Welcoming address: Dr. Mirjam Wenzel, Director of the Jewish Museum Frankfurt am Main
  Introduction to the exhibition: Dr. Miriam Bistrovic, Berlin Representative of Leo Baeck Institute – New York | Berlin
  Opening talk: Dr. Schimon Staszewski, Chairperson of "Freunde und Förderer des Leo Baeck Institute e.V."
  
  
• Panel discussion: "Gedächtnis verbindet. Kulturelle Teilhabe und kulturelles Gedächtnis in der Einwanderungsgesellschaft". Discussion with Micha Brumlik, Shermin Langhoff and Boris Schumatsky, hosted by Michel Friedman. With the kind support of Gesellschaft für das Buch e.V.
  
  
• Reading and interview: "Die Briefe der Manns – Ein Familienporträt"
  With the editor Tilmann Lahme and the actors Corinna Harfouch and Torben Kessler
  Presented by: Ruthard Stäblein, hr2-kultur
  A cooperation of hr2-kultur, S. Fischer, Der Hörverlag and German Exile Archive 1933–1945 of the German National Library.
  
  
• Book presentation: "Und was hat das mit mir zu tun? Ein Verbrechen im März 1945. Die Geschichte meiner Familie". Reading and interview with Sacha Batthyany

• Exhibition "Wir brauchen einen ganz anderen Mut!" Stefan Zweig – Abschied von Europa. The German Exile Archive 1933–1945 of the German National Library presents an exhibition created by the Vienna-based Austrian Theatre Museum.
  
  
• Accession of the fractional estate of Paul Roubiczek
  
  
• Donation of the fractional estate of the family Wiedemann
  
  
• Donation of the fractional estate of Stefanie Zweig
  
  
• Acquisition of the literary estate of Ernesto Kroch

2016: Leipzig

• Presentation: "Im Namen des Volkes!" – Hinter den Kulissen des Nürnberger Prozesses. Presentation of the audiobook with Jochanan Shelliem. The ARD radio journalist Jochanan Shelliem introduces his audiobook feature which examines the Nuremberg trials, a milestone of German history, from different perspectives.

2015: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Antiracist Reading Show: Hate Poetry. A team of journalists read out loud some of the racist hate mail they regularly receive. A smart, witty and light-hearted form of protest against everyday racism. A performance that uses the hostilities themselves to challenge hostility.

• 23 November: Exhibition opening: "Wir brauchen einen ganz anderen Mut!" Stefan Zweig – Abschied von Europa. The German Exile Archive 1933–1945 of the German National Library presents an exhibition created by the Vienna-based Austrian Theatre Museum.curator and director of the Stefan Zweig Centre Salzburg, Klemens Renolder, gives an introductory speech at the opening of the exhibition. Afterwards the actor and voice-over artist Jochen Nix reads texts by the author.

• Musical reading: "In Nürnberg machten sie ein Gesetz". The Bertolt Brecht ballad presages the barbaric events of the Pogrom Night on 9 November 1938. In their programme Anna Haentjens (vocals/recitation) and Sven Selle (piano) present the words and music of dissident and Jewish artists who were labelled "degenerate" and persecuted by the National Socialists.

• Book presentation: "Das Jahrhundert der Manns". Reading by Manfred Flügge from his biography of the entire Mann family.

• Book presentation: "Quelle lebender Bücher"; The library of the Israelite Cultus Community in Zurich (ICZ) celebrates its 75th anniversary by publishing a book. This is presented on 8 July 2015 at the German National Library in Frankfurt am Main. In it, 75 users describe their favourite book from the ICZ library. The result is a cross section of the library's holdings, covering 500 years of book history. An event organised by the German National Library in cooperation with edition clandestin, Biel, Switzerland. The patron is the Swiss Consulate General, Frankfurt am Main.

• Talk: "On every front. The war correspondent Erika Mann". A talk by Irmela von der Lühe (Berlin).

• Book presentation: "Zukunftsarchäologie: Eine Anthologie hebräischer Gedichte" with a talk by Prof. Anat Feinberg: "Schiller's Tell as a Jewish visionary – German literature in Hebrew garb". An event in cooperation with the Consulate General of Israel in Munich, Johann Christian Senckenberg University Library, Klostermann and the German National Library.

• Donation of the literary estate of Hildegard Feidel-Mertz

• Donation of the fractional estate of Felicia Fuss

• Acquisition of the fractional estate of Yitzhak Sophonie Herz

• Acquisition of the literary estate of Hanna Kapit

2014: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Reading: Reappraising a major figure of the last century: Wilhelm von Sternburg reads from "Lion Feuchtwanger - Die Biografie". On the occasion of the 130th birthday of Lion Feuchtwanger.

• Event: "Exile and Language"– Panel discussion with Emine Sevgi Özdamar, Najem Wali and Stefan Weidner (Moderation).
  Event organised by German Exile Archive 1933–1945 as part of the Goethe-Institut "DEUTSCH 3.0 – Debatten über Sprache und ihre Zukunft" initiative.

• Event: "Songs of Gastarbeiter – Migration, pop and 'schlager' in Germany. Imran Ayata and Klaus Walter in conversation." Songs presented from the first generation of Turkish immigrants to Germany.
  Event organised by German Exile Archive 1933–1945 of the German National Library.

• Project conclusion: Eyewitness interviews with exiled artists: The German Exile Archive 1933–1945 of the German National Library conducted eyewitness interviews together with the radio journalist Jochanan Shelliem as part of the virtual "Arts in Exile" exhibition to produce audio or video clips.

• 19 September: Award presented by German President Joachim Gauck: "Exil Online" wins the "Kinder zum Olymp!" competition. The "Exil Online. Archiv erleben – Exil entdecken – Geschichte verstehen" cooperation project between the I.E. Lichtigfeldschule im Philanthropin school in Frankfurt and the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 of the German National Library won a "Kinder zum Olymp!" award in the "Literature for years 5 to 9" category.

• Reading with Jochen Nix as part of the "…mehr vorwärts als rückwärts schauen…" : Das deutschsprachige Exil in Brasilien 1933–1945 exhibition

• Symposium: Art and society between cultures. The art historian Hanna Levy-Deinhard in exile and her relevance today.

• Acquisition of the fractional estate of Olga Katunal

• Acquisition of the fractional estate of Irene Landry

• Donation of the partial literary estate of Erna Meyer

• Donation of the fractional estate of Lilit Pavell

• Donation of the partial literary estate of Frederick Polnauer

2014: Collection of Exile Literature Exil-Literatur 1933–1945 in Leipzig

• Presentation of the Leipzig ethnologists Eva and Julius Lips, exploring the theme of "Photographers in exile" as part of the Long Night of the Sciences.

• Visit of former Jewish citizens of Leipzig.

• Presentation: "I am the eye of the director" / Ken Adam

• Presentation: Walter Trier. Illustrator and emigrant.

• Presentation: "Outlawed music" / Jazz and swing under National Socialisms

• Presentation: Georg Wittkowski

2013: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Book presentation: Barbara and Stefan Weidle, Luis S. Krausz and Victor Hugo Klagsbrunn: "Kurt Klagsbrunn. Fotograf im Land der Zukunft"

• Exhibition: "…mehr vorwärts als rückwärts schauen…" : Das deutschsprachige Exil in Brasilien 1933–1945. An exhibition conceived by the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in cooperation with Marlen Eckl. The exhibition can be viewed as part of the 2013/2014 year celebrating all things German in Brazil from 29 October 2013 in the Brazilian National Library in Rio de Janeiro and subsequently in other Brazilian cities.

• Publication: Asmus, Sylvia [Ed.]; Eckl, Marlen [Ed.]: "…mehr vorwärts als rückwärts schauen…" : Das deutschsprachige Exil in Brasilien 1933–1945. Berlin: Hentrich & Hentrich Verlag Berlin

• The first Arts in Exile modules go online.

• Book presentation: Muse des Exils – Das Leben der Malerin Eva Herrmann

• Reading by the author Manfred Flügge

• Talk: Sylvia Asmus: The literature of exile – the continual search for destroyed memories

• Acquisition of the literary estate of Fred Jordan

• Donation of the literary estate of Ernst Bresslau

• Acquisition of the literary estate of Hans Bruch

• Donation of Hans Stern's work library

2013: Collection of Exile Literature 1933–1945 in Leipzig

• Reopening of the reading room of the Anne-Frank-Shoah-Library

• Completion of the restoration of around 1,000 leaflets

• Reading: Helmut Weisenborn. With Anna Nyburg and Günther Wicke

2012: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankurt am Main

• The German Exile Archive 1933–1945 is given overall control of the virtual collaborative Arts in Exile exhibition and network. The Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media provides 745,000 Euro of funding to develop the infrastructure of the virtual exhibition.

• Conference: Internationale Joseph Roth Gesellschaft in cooperation with the German Exile Archive 1933–1945.

• Exhibition entitled "So wurde ihnen die Flucht zur Heimat." Soma Morgenstern und Joseph Roth. Eine Freundschaft. Exhibition organised by the German Exile Archive 1933–1945. Curated by Victoria Lunzer-Talos and Heinz Lunzer.
  Supported by Stiftung Flughafen Frankfurt/Main and Stiftung Polytechnische Gesellschaft Frankfurt am Main–1945. Curated by Victoria Lunzer-Talos and Heinz Lunzer.
  Supported by Stiftung Flughafen Frankfurt/Main and Stiftung Polytechnische Gesellschaft Frankfurt am Main

• Companion event: Time capsule: Tarabas – Joseph Roth and his first exile novel

• Companion event: Wilhelm von Sternburg: Joseph Roth

• Book presentation: Wolfgang Benz: "Deutsche Juden im 20. Jahrhundert"

• Collage of chanson lyrics: Evelin Förster: Commemoration of the two artists Hilde Loewe-Flatter and Ruth Feiner

• Publication: Höllriegel, Arnold: Amerika-Bilderbuch / Ed. Michael Grisko on behalf of the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 – Göttingen: Wallstein

• Exhibition "Fremd bin ich den Menschen dort". An insight into the collections of the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 and of the Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach, patron Herta Müller

• Conversation: Jürgen Serke and Volker Weidermann: The burned books

• Acquisition of the partial premature literary estate of Ernest Glaser

• Acquisition of the collection of Eva Herrmann

• Acquisition of the literary estate of Hermann Kurtzig

• Acquisition of the archive of Günter P. Straschek

• Donation of the archive of the Langenbach family

• Acquisition of the literary estate of Maria Schacko

• Donation of the literary estate of Richard Stern

2012: Collection of Exile Literature 1933–1945 in Leipzig

• Beginning of the digitisation of the exile monographs

• Visit of former Jewish citizens of Leipzig

2011: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Panel discussion "Forms of remembrance" with Sylvia Asmus, Ruth Klüger, Edita Koch, Herta Müller, Jochanan Shelliem, Volker Weidemann

• First meeting of the Golo Mann society

• Event: Inge Jens: Encounters with Golo Mann

• Presentation of the "Golo Mann. Die Geschichte" exhibition. An exhibition by Buddenbrookhaus Lübeck in cooperation with Literaturhaus München

• Acquisition of the literary estate of Leon Hirsch

• Acquisition of the partial literary estate of Fritz Picard

• Acquisition of the literary estate of Heinz Liepman

• Sylvia Asmus becomes head of the German Exile Archive 1933–1945

2010: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Exhibition "Rudolf Olden. Journalist gegen Hitler – Anwalt der Republik"

• " ... ein sehr lebhaftes Vielerlei. Der Theatermann und Schriftsteller Rudolf Frank". An exhibition by Wilfried Weinke in cooperation with the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 of the German National Library.

• Acquisition of the partial literary estate of David Luschnat

2010: Collection of Exile Literature 1933–1945 in Leipzig

• Presentation: "Florence Homolka. A photographer in exile"

• Presentation: "Leaflets of the 2nd World War"

• Presentation: "Children's books in exile"

• Visit of former Jewish citizens of Leipzig

2009: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Acquisition of the literary estate of Hans Weil

• Acquisition of the literary estate of Anja Lundholm

2009: Collection of Exile Literature 1933–1945 in Leipzig

• Start of the restoration of roughly 1,000 leaflets

2008: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Acquisition of the literary estate of Hans G. Güterbock

• Acquisition of the premature literary estate of John G. Stoessinger

2008: Collection of Exile Literature 1933–1945 in Leipzig

• Book presentation: Volker Weidermann: "Das Buch der verbrannten Bücher"

• Reading: Armin Strohmeyer reads from: "Verlorene Generation – dreißig vergessene Dichterinnen und Dichter des 'anderen DeutschlandVerlorene Generation – dreißig vergessene Dichterinnen und Dichter des 'anderen Deutschland'"

• Presentation on the exhibition stand of the German National Library: "The other Reclam publications. Disguised publications"

• Presentation: "A passionate collector. The illustrator and toy collector Walter Trier"

• Visit of former Jewish citizens of Leipzig

2007: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Acquisition of the literary estate of Sigmund Neumann

• Exhibition "Kurt Wolff – ein Literat und Gentleman". Cooperation project between August Macke House, Bonn, the Literaturhaus in Vienna and the German National Library

2007: Collection of Exile Literature 1933–1945 in Leipzig

• Reading: Lenka Reinerova reads from her autobiography "Das Geheimnis der letzten Minuten"

• Presentation: "Photographers in exile"

• Reading: Ilka Schneidgen reads from her book "Dichterin des Dennoch: Hilde Domin"

2006: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Exhibition "Die Kinder der Manns – Ansichten einer Familie". Joint project of Monacensia München, Buddenbrookhaus Lübeck and Literaturhaus München

• Archives catalogue of the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 goes online

2005: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• "Biographies and autobiographies of exiles and emigrants". Annual meeting of Gesellschaft für Exilforschung e. V.

• Exhibition "Meinem besten Porträtisten – Porträtfotografien und -zeichnungen aus den Beständen des Deutschen Exilarchivs 1933–1945"

2005: Collection of Exile Literature 1933–1945 in Leipzig

• Reading: Christian Buckard: "Ein extremes Leben. Arthur Koestler 1905–1983"

• Event: Presentation of the results at the second Hanoverian Symposium "Jüdischer Buchbesitz als Raubgut"

• 13th meeting of the "Frauen im Exil" working group of Gesellschaft für Exilforschung e. V.: "Als Kind verfolgt. Anne Frank und die anderen"

• Presentation of the "Buchgestaltung im Exil" exhibition of the German Exile Archive 1933–1945

2004: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Beginning of the "Jewish periodicals in Nazi Germany" digitisation project (with the support of the German Research Foundation, DFG)

2003: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Catalogue: "Deutsches Exilarchiv 1933–1945 und Sammlung Exil-Literatur 1933–1945: Katalog der Bücher und Broschüren." Also, volume 2 of "Deutsches Exilarchiv 1933–1945: Katalog der Bücher und Broschüren (1989)" (acquisition years 1986-1995)"

• Exhibition "Buchgestaltung im Exil 1933–1950"; acquisition of the literary estate of Eric Schaal (with the support of the German Research Foundation, DFG and the Fritz Thyssen Foundation)

2002: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Exhibition "Deutschsprachige Schriftsteller im Schweizer Exil 1933–1950"

2001: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Acquisition of the archive of Alfredo Cahn (partly as a permanent loan of the Adolf und LuiAdolf sa Haeuser-Stiftung für Kunst und Kulturpflege, Frankfurt am Main)

2001: Collection of Exile Literature 1933–1945 in Leipzig

• The "Kinder- und Jugendliteratur im Exil" exhibition is shown at the German National Library in Frankfurt am Main and at the Wuppertal municipal library;
  Presentation on the occasion of the 100th birthday of Ödön von Horvath

1999: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Exhibition "... er teilte mit uns allen das Exil. Goethebilder der deutschsprachigen Emigration 1933–1945"

1998: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Beginning of the "Exilpresse digital" digitisation project (until 2003 with the support of the German Research Foundation, DFG); Acquisition of the literary estate of Ossip K. Flechtheim

1998: Collection of Exile Literature 1933–1945 in Leipzig

• Presentation "'This is not the end of the story'. Bertolt Brecht in exile 1933–1948"

1997: Collection of Exile Literature 1933–1945 in Leipzig

• Annual meeting of Gesellschaft für Exilforschung e. V.

1996: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Beginning of the collaboration with John M. Spalek, Albany, for the acquisition of the literary estates of German-speaking emigrants in the United States (with support e.g. from German Research Foundation, DFG, so far roughly 50 full and partial estates, including those of Hermann Borchardt, Iwan Heilbut, Ernst Moritz Manasse, Joseph Maier, Soma Morgenstern, and the "Aufbau" archive)

1995: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Exhibition "Richard A. Bermann alias Arnold Höllriegel. Österreicher – Demokrat – Weltbürger"

1995: Collection of Exile Literature 1933–1945 in Leipzig

• Exhibition and catalogue "Kinder- und Jugendliteratur im Exil"

1993: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Exhibition "Deutsche Intellektuelle im Exil. Ihre Akademie und die 'American Guild for German Cultural Freedom'"; it is subsequently shown in numerous other locations, including in the Thuringian State Parliament, Erfurt, and in the Hesse State Parliament in Wiesbaden

1992: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Acquisition of the literary estate of Hermann M. Görgen

1991: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Acquisition of the literary estates of Fritz Neumark and Paul Leser

1990: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Close collaboration between the exile collections since the merger of the Deutsche Bücherei Leipzig and the Deutsche Bibliothek Frankfurt am Main to create the federal institution of the German National Library on the basis of the Unification Treaty.

1989: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Catalogue "Deutsches Exilarchiv 1933–1945: Katalog der Bücher und Broschüren" (for acquisitions up to and including 1985)

• Exhibition "Leo Perutz 1882-1957"

• Acquisition of the literary estate of Margarete Buber-Neumann

1988: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Start of the "Inventar zu den Nachlässen emigrierter deutschsprachiger Wissenschaftler in Archiven und Bibliotheken der Bundesrepublik Deutschland" project supported by the German Research Foundation, DFG

1988: Collection of Exile Literature 1933–1945 in Leipzig

• Part of the literary estate of Professor Eva Lips is bequeathed to the Collection of Exile Literature

1987: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Acquisition of the literary estate of Walter Fabian

1987: Collection of Exile Literature 1933–1945 in Leipzig

• Establishment of a separate "Collection of Exile Literature" section within the Acquisition department

1986: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Acquisition of the literary estate of Leo Perutz

1985: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Exhibition "Die jüdische Emigration aus Deutschland 1933–1941. Die Geschichte einer Austreibung"; it is subsequently shown in more than 20 other locations, including at the Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland in Bonn and as a panel exhibition in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv

1984: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Brita Eckert becomes head of the German Exile Archive 1933–1945

• Exhibition "35 Jahre Exilliteratur 1933–1945 in der Deutschen Bibliothek Frankfurt am Main"

1980: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Exhibition "Der deutsche PEN-Club im Exil 1933–1948", initially at the PEN Congress in Bremen, later in Bonn, Frankfurt am Main and numerous other locations, also as a panel exhibition

• Acquisition of the literary estate of Karl Retzlaw

1979: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Exhibition "Joseph Roth 1894–1939"

1975: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Acquisition of the archive of the Deutscher PEN-Club im Exil (1933–1940) and the literary estate of Wilhelm Sternfeld

1973: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

1970: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Acquisition of the archive of the Deutsche Akademie im Exil / American Guild for German Cultural Freedom of Prinz Hubertus zu Lowenstein as the basis of the archival collection as the basis of the archival collection

1969: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• The Federal Law on the German Library, which also covers the collection and bibliographic indexing of exile literature 1933–1945, permits expansion of the scope and staffing of the collection.

• The German Research Foundation starts to support exile research.

• The Deutsche Bibliothek is involved in all projects devoted to safeguarding and documenting the sources.

1965: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• On May 28, the Hessian Minister of Culture Ernst Schütte opens the exhibition "Exil-Literatur 1933–1945"; It is shown in more than 20 locations in Germany and abroad from 1966 to 1970. The exhibition and catalogue prove highly influential in encouraging research into German exile 1933–1945 in the Federal Republic.

1960: Collection of Exile Literature 1933–1945 in Leipzig

• Beginn systematischer bibliografischer Ermittlung von Werken der Exilliteratur, Aufbau einer Arbeitskartei mit biografischen und bibliografischen Daten; Erwerbung fehlender Publikationen vorwiegend im internationalen Antiquariatsbuchhandel

1958: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Werner Berthold takes over as head of the exile collection and expands it.

1953: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• Acquisition of the "Walter Arthur Berendsohn" collection (with the first archival holdings, including Berendsohn's comprehensive correspondence of about 2,000 letters on the development of the first literary history of exile)

1950: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• The first books of the "emigrant library" arrive as gifts from emigrants

1949: Collection of Exile Literature 1933–1945 in Leipzig

• „Deutsche Nationalbibliografie: Ergänzung I –Verzeichnis der Schriften, die 1933–1945 nicht angezeigt werden durften" (Deutsche Nationalbibliografie: Supplement I – List of writings not allowed to be shown from 1933–1945 including 5,485 entries)

1948: German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main

• The plan to establish a "library of emigration literature" is drawn up in summer in Zurich at a meeting of Hanns Wilhelm Eppelsheimer with board members of the Schutzverband Deutscher Schriftsteller in Switzerland (Walter Fabian, Jo Mihaly, Kurt Hirschfeld etc.); thereupon the society invites its members and friends in 1949 to make the works they published in exile available for the planned collection.

1947: Collection of Exile Literature 1933–1945 in Leipzig

• Bücher der Emigration" – first exhibition of the Deutsche Bücherei after the War

1933–1945: Collection of Exile Literature 1933–1945 in Leipzig

• In 1933, the Deutsche Bücherei, which previously fell within the remit of the Reich Ministry of the Interior, is subsumed by the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. Nazi party authorities move in to monitor the cultural and intellectual conformity measures. Writings by exiled authors are incorporated in the general collection. From 12 October 1936 it is forbidden to include these works in the national bibliography, from 1939 they are recorded in the periodically released "List of prohibited publications in the Deutsche Bücherei".