Silent witnesses, loud words

“Those who do not speak will not be heard!” Helmut Schmidt once said. Yet whether one is even allowed to speak is often a matter of privilege. Around the world, journalists who raise their voices are silenced: they are imprisoned, threatened, defamed or even killed. Last year alone, 58 media professionals were murdered, and in Germany too, the number of attacks on journalists is rising – according to Reporters Without Borders, press freedom in this country is rated as merely “satisfactory”.

Sixty-four years ago, an attack on press freedom triggered the first government crisis in the then-young Federal Republic: the so-called SPIEGEL affair. Under the motto #ArchivesForJustice, we invite you to discover Helmut Schmidt’s letters relating to this historic event and to learn about the value of the Helmut Schmidt Archive for law and the rule of law.

Historian Franziska Zollweg puts the events into context and takes you on a fascinating journey through the archive, where the letters are preserved as silent witnesses to history. Poetry slammer Sven Kamin reads a selection of these letters aloud, bringing them to life.

Experience an evening full of history, archival discoveries and artistic interpretation.

The event is fully booked.