About #lostwords
The project with the Bavarian State Archives focuses on undelivered farewell letters from victims of Nazi persecution
The name of the project – #lostwords – refers to the last words written by people condemned to die in Stadelheim Prison in Munich. They wrote farewell letters shortly before they were executed. Many of these words were lost because the letters never reached their intended recipients. They are now stored in what are referred to as execution files in the Munich State Archives.
#lostwords is a cooperative initiative between the Bavarian State Archives and the Arolsen Archives. Working together, we want to link the file holdings of the Munich State Archives with the documents in the collection of the Arolsen Archives in order to expand the basis for researching and understanding execution practices under the National Socialists. The letters can be viewed in the Munich State Archives. By connecting them to the online archive of the Arolsen Archives, it will also be possible to access them digitally from anywhere, at any time.
With #lostwords, today’s Arolsen Archives are continuing the work that has always distinguished us: searching for the victims of Nazi persecution. This initiative is representative of our approach to contemporary, active, and participatory remembrance work. We use social media, receive support from international volunteers, cooperate with archives worldwide, work closely with scholars, and make historical documents accessible to everyone in our online archive.
The Nazi past won’t let us rest! Giving the victims of this unjust regime a name and a voice is more important than ever.
Dr. Bernhard Grau, Director of the Bavarian State Archives
Join in now and help remember the victims of the Nazi justice system
The crowdsourcing initiative #everynamecounts offers interested parties the opportunity to commemorate the injustices suffered by people during the Nazi era in courts and prisons.
Join in now and help us digitize documents from the German prison in Prague-Pankratz. They tell of persecution, repression, and arbitrary violence, and provide insight into the fates of countless people as well as the role and functioning of prisons and penitentiaries.