Objekt des Monats
Jedes Objekt in der Sammlung des Deutschen Auswandererhauses erzählt eine ganz persönliche Auswanderungs- oder Einwanderungsgeschichte. In dieser Rubrik stellen wir Ihnen jeden Monat ein anderes Objekt vor – eine Fotografie, ein Dokument oder ein persönliches Erinnerungsstück.
January 2024
Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon, 1994 (awarded)
Historical Context
After the end of World War II, orders and decorations faced significant challenges in post-war Germany, as the world needed to recover from the horrific consequences of rampant German militarism. Iron discipline and masculine honor were no longer regarded as desirable virtues, and German society had to be demilitarized. However, after the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) in 1949, there was a desire in West German politics to honor deserving citizens of the young republic for their social engagement. In 1951, Theodor Heuss, Konrad Adenauer, and Robert Lehr signed the Decree on the Establishment of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. With various grades and forms, from the Merit Medal to the Grand Cross in Special Form (only awarded to Konrad Adenauer, Helmut Kohl, and Angela Merkel), the Order of Merit became known. Widely recognized is the Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon, which was first awarded in 1951 to the miner Franz Brandl from Nentershausen, who saved two colleagues after an accident in the copper mine of Sontra. Orders were no longer exclusively reserved for the military but highlighted personalities in the social, cultural, economic, or technical fields.
Around 1991, nearly 5,000 Distinguished Service Crosses were awarded, mostly to men. Since then, the number of awards has decreased (a little over 1,000 in 2022), and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier decided in 2022 that at least 40% of the orders should be awarded to women. Given the high quantity, handmade production is inconceivable. The honor badges are produced using a mechanical process and are primarily made of gold-plated brass. A proposal for the award of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany can be submitted for any person to the Federal President’s Office, which will then check whether the proposed individual qualifies for a Distinguished Service Cross.
It should not be overlooked that the awarding of the orders also takes place for purely political reasons and etiquette, so among the holders of the Special Class of the Grand Cross are problematic personalities such as former heads of state from Cuba, Fulgencio Batista, and Romania, Nicolae Ceaușescu, or the former president of Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito. After the Federal Cross of Merit was demonstrably awarded to individuals with a Nazi past (such as Heinrich Bütefisch and Hans Ernst Schneider), the regulation was established that it can, under certain circumstances, be revoked.
Brief Biography
Katja Krupka, born in 1966, working in the hospitality industry and residing in a small town in East Westphalia, honors the German Emigration Center with a significant gesture: she entrusted us with the Distinguished Service Cross that was originally awarded to her father, Albrecht ‘Addi Alexis’ Schaefer (1937 – 2023), for his work with physically and cognitively challenged individuals. Through this award, Katja Krupka shared not only her father’s social commitment but also a family history that was significantly influenced by experiences of flight and migration.
Significance of the Object
Albrecht Schaefer, who received the cross, was born in 1937 in Dresden. His father is a senior school director, and he has an older and a younger sister. During the final phase of World War II, when the Allied forces’ counterattack reaches Germany, the Schaefer family is bombed out and loses their home. In the post-war period, the family lives in the Soviet occupied zone, where their daily life is marked by hunger and poverty. In 1950, Albrecht’s father decides to leave the German Democratic Republic (GDR) founded in 1949 and flees with his thirteen-year-old son to the young Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). After several stops, the two arrive in Mülheim an der Ruhr, where Albrecht’s father works as a high school teacher. The escape is a traumatic experience for Albrecht, who had to leave family and friends behind. Due to his Saxon accent, he is teased at school. For a time, he has to live alone in a children’s home. His mother and both sisters come later, but the GDR isolates itself from the West, making a return unthinkable. Albrecht’s mother struggles with the escape her entire life and sends many packages to friends and relatives in the GDR.
From 1953 onwards, fleeing from the ‘Soviet zone’ was legally regulated in the Federal Displacement Act (BVFG). From 1949 until the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, over 2.8 million people fled from the area of the (now former) GDR to the FRG.
Albrecht Schaefer studies education in Essen-Kettwig and moves to Twiehausen as part of a rural teaching internship, north of the town of Espelkamp. The region has captivated him for life, even though he has never truly settled down. He lives with his family in an apartment in the village school in nearby Gestringen, and his daughter Katja is born in 1966. When Greek labor migrants arrive in East Westphalia in the 1960s, Albrecht Schaefer teaches the children German and remains closely connected to Greece throughout his life, which is also reflected in his nickname ‘Addi Alexis’.
In addition to his teaching activities, his commitment to culture and inclusion is noteworthy, for which he will later receive the Federal Cross of Merit. Albrecht Schaefer founds the Bürgerverein Gestringen and initiates events such as the Nacht der Komödianten and other music and cabaret evenings. With the Circus Krönchen, individuals with various physical and cognitive disabilities take the stage equally, showcasing their talents and ideas. For these achievements, Albrecht ‘Addi Alexis’ Schaefer is awarded the Federal Cross of Merit in 1994.
The Federal Cross of Merit can be seen as a sign that people, with their diverse experiences and skills, can and should participate in societal life. However, it should not be forgotten that achievements and social engagement must not overshadow the long-term and traumatic effects of (forced) migration.
Do You Also Have …
… a story of emigration or immigration in your family that you would like to share with the German Emigration Center together with the related objects and documents for its collection? Then please contact Dr. Tanja Fittkau by phone at +49 471 / 90 22 0 – 0
or by e-mail at: t.fittkau@dah-bremerhaven.de