Wir Waren Nachbarn (We Were Neighbors)

The Wir Waren Nachbarn (We Were Neighbors) exhibition is a memorial for the Jewish residents of the Tempelhof and Schöneberg areas of Berlin. It tells the story of the people who were forced to flee Germany, were exiled by the Nazis, or were killed.

More than 150 biographies of Jewish people and many firsthand accounts are displayed in a reading room in the Rathaus (City Hall) in Schöneberg. For each person or family there is an album containing their personal story and photos—memories that were not always easy to find. The organizers tracked down the surviving family members to get their stories. Many people were deported and died in Nazi concentration camps, but there are also albums of the people who survived, fled, or hid. 

This very personal memorial is unique and impressive. The reader can get to know each person or family, is able to connect with them, and gets a better understanding of their fears and feelings of hopelessness. There are some very courageous and astonishing stories.  

The exhibition includes the stories of some of the more famous citizens of Schöneberg and Tempelhof, such as Albert Einstein, the Comedian Harmonists, Kurt Tucholsky, Billy Wilder, Alice Salomon, Nelly Sachs, and others. The collection is continually expanding with the addition of new albums.