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.
July 2020
Photo: The ‘Miracle of Bern’ – July 4, 1954
Historical Context
When the German national team wins the final match of the football World Cup against Hungary on July 4, 1954, in the Wankdorf Stadium in Bern, Germany is engulfed in a frenzy of joy. The ‘Miracle of Bern’ is a sensation – hoped for by many thousands of sports enthusiasts, yet not expected. Amidst the hardships and depressions of the post-war period, the event offers a release from everyday perspectives and the regain of a positive outlook for the future. The historian Joachim Fest and the political scientist Arthur Heinrich even refer to the ‘Miracle of Bern’ as the actual birth of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Short Biography
Helmuth Osmers was born in November 1929 in America. His parents, both emigrants from Germany, meet in New York. From the age of two, Helmuth Osmers initially lived with his grandparents in Bremerhaven, Germany, while his parents remained in the USA for work reasons. Helmuth’s life is marked by constant movement between the USA and Germany from a young age. Even as an adult, he predominantly undertakes this switch between the continents for professional reasons. In his free time, his great passion is football, both actively and passively.
Significance of the Object
Football is Helmuth Osmers’ favorite hobby. As a club and team sport, it offers him the opportunity to build new interpersonal relationships and to regain his footing each time he settles somewhere new. Football is played all over the world and builds bridges over language barriers. It’s no coincidence that it is said: “Sport speaks all languages.” In the upper football leagues, migration is also fostered commercially: Promising players from other nations are recruited with large sums of money, encouraging them to migrate.
Do you also …
… have a family story of emigration or immigration to share, and would you like to give these along with the relevant objects and documents to the Deutsche Auswandererhaus for its collection? Then please contact Dr. Tanja Fittkau at the phone number 0471 / 90 22 0 – 0 or by email at: t.fittkau@dah-bremerhaven.de
Archive: Previous Objects of the Month
Show all objectsDo 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