Munich's Documentation Centre for the History of National Socialism hosts staged reading on the 'Lebensborn' homes

The NS-Dokumentationszentrum (Documentation Centre for the History of National Socialism) at Max-Mannheimer-Platz 1 in Munich is holding a staged reading entitled 'Lies and Shame – German Lives' on Thursday, 22 October, at 7pm. The event features Dirk Kaesler, Andreas Heusler and Rita Feldmeier.

The evening focuses on the homes run by the SS association 'Lebensborn', where mainly unmarried women could give birth to children who were regarded as 'racially valuable' under National Socialist ideology.

The sociologist Dirk Kaesler discovered only late in life that he had himself been born in one of these homes. His research uncovered a harrowing family history: his biological father was not his mother's husband, who was killed in the war, but an SS officer with whom she had a relationship while working for 'Lebensborn'. Both of his parents worked for the SS association.

In conversation with the historian Andreas Heusler, Kaesler will talk about his family history and the role of 'Lebensborn' in the National Socialist ideology of race and health.

Admission is free, but registration is required at nsdoku.de/programm. The centre is accessible to people with walking impairments and to wheelchair users.