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.
October 2021
Checklist for the emergency admission procedure from 1958
Historical Context
The escape from the GDR is often mentally associated with the overcoming of the wall, whose construction took place 60 years ago. However, one can also be discovered while escaping before the wall was built – and must then expect up to three years in prison. Even after crossing the border, there are hurdles in the Federal Republic. On the Day of German Unity, we tell the story of a family that took these risks in 1957/58.
Brief Biography of Waltraud and Erich Kosak
Waltraud and Erich Kosak live with their six-year-old daughter in Helbra when they decide at the end of the 1950s to leave the GDR. The idea comes from Erich, who openly expresses his opinion at work in the mining industry and frequently clashes with official authorities. At first, Waltraud Kosak is uncertain whether the step is right, as the family is currently building a house. Ultimately, she agrees, and the family travels separately to Berlin: Erich disguises himself as a businessman, while Waltraud pretends to visit relatives in East Berlin with her daughter Carola. The deception almost gets discovered: on the train, the daughter is questioned separately from the mother because an official finds it odd that Waltraud is carrying a lot of children’s toys. However, despite the individual questioning, Carola sticks to the story of visiting relatives, allowing mother and daughter to finally reach West Berlin unhindered.
More details about the life story of Waltraud and Erich Kosak
Significance of the object
It is not as simple as saying you can “cross over” from the GDR and immediately live freely in the FRG wherever you want. The Kosak family first has to undergo an admission process at the reception center in Berlin-Marienfelde. Here, the FRG ensures that there is a regulated entry for the large number of so-called refugees fleeing the Republic. Additionally, several German and international intelligence services check if there are any spies among the refugees; the police look for criminals. On average, the admission process takes one to two weeks. The necessary procedures are illustrated by the Kosak family’s process sheet – also showing that not every process takes just two weeks. The first date stamp is from November 29, 1957. Admission is approved on December 9, 1957. However, the last entry in Marienfelde is made as late as January 20, 1958. Once it is confirmed that the Kosaks are allowed to leave, only two federal states accept war victims like Erich Kosak: Saarland and Bremen. The Kosaks contest their initial allocation – presumably Saarland. The process sheet indicates that the family is later “reassigned” to Bremen. The journey ultimately goes via Hamburg to Bremerhaven, where the family initially lives again in a camp – on Barkhausenstraße.
Do you also …
… have a migration or immigration story from your family to tell and would like to submit these along with the corresponding objects and documents to the German Emigration Center for its collection? If so, please contact Dr. Tanja Fittkau at the phone number 0471 / 90 22 0 – 0 or via 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