Graves of honorary citizens Böhe is preserved despite urn groves

Graves of honorary citizens Böhe is preserved despite urn groves

Malsch, Deutschland - In the near future, an urn grain will be created in the Malsch cemetery, but the grave of the former honorary citizen Pastor Anton Böhe will preserve. Böhe, who worked in Malsch from 1952 to 1985 and received honorary citizenship in 1982, is at the center of various tensions and discussions within the community. In the course of allegations that became loud in 2020 that he was said to have been violent towards communion children and students, his heir got into the public debate. These allegations were processed by a "historical commission" under the direction of Clemens Rehm, as Stadtwiki

In March 2023, the local council decided to disclose honorary citizenship. However, a necessary two-thirds majority could not be achieved. This meant that Böhe continued to be a symbolic honorary citizen. Nevertheless, there were noticeable changes: the note about the revocation was attached to the street named after Böhe and on his grave, so that it becomes clearer for the citizens what role he played in the community.

important decisions for grave care

An important decision by the community was the takeover of the grave care by Anton Böhe, the costs of which are now borne by the local government. The community wants to ensure that the grave is maintained properly after it was previously maintained by an unknown person. The grave itself, hidden under ivy, is now cut into shape, so that the explanatory board with regard to its honorary citizenship remains visible. Despite the controversy around Böhe, his grave is preserved, while normal graves are cleared after the rest period.

The planting of the urn groves, which according to

memory culture in focus

The examination of the past, be it in the context of Anton Böhe or within the wider German culture of remembrance, remains a major challenge. As the Federal Center for Political Education , the memory of the Nazi regime and the commemoration of minorities that suffer from the dictatorship is of central importance. This balance between memory and education is also visible in Malsch, where dealing with Böhes legacy plays a role in the collective culture of memory.

A look at the developments around the grave of Anton Böhe shows how complex the topics are memory and memory and what responsibility the communities bear. In Malsch, not only a new cemetery area is created, but there is also an examination of the past, which is a sensitive topic for many. How the community will master this balancing act remains to be seen.