It seems appropriate to begin this chronicle of film production on April 13th… especially after we received the gift of a commemorative letter from Johanna Mücke, one of the best friends this project has. As a history student in Germany, Johanna learned about the amazing event that occurred long before she was born but on the tracks that run through the back yard of her family home. She has been invaluable to this project as a brilliant translator and enthusiastic correspondent.
Here is the letter she sent on April 13, 2023:
Hi everyone,
As you know, today marks the 78th anniversary of the liberation of the “Stranded Train” in Farsleben. And even though there might not be any ceremonies in Farsleben this year to commemorate this event, I didn’t want this day to go by without making clear just how important this event is to all of us and that we have not forgotten.
I am attaching a document that I sent around exactly two years ago already, but not everyone of you received it back then, so I thought it might be interesting for some of you to have a look at it now. It includes a few texts written by some of the students who helped make this story more known in Farsleben and the surrounding area on what motivated them to take part in this project in the first place.
I wish you all a lovely rest of your day. Stay safe, and I hope to see you all again in Farsleben at some point.
All the best,
Johanna
Our beautiful Johanna.
Johanna places flowers on the site where the liberation monument (Gedenkstein Farsleben) would soon be built.
The image below links to the document Johanna mentioned in her letter. It is a wonderful insight into the young people (including Johanna) who were led by Karin Petersen a few years ago to explore this almost-forgotten chapter of local history.
