Rediscovered bronze board in the Museum Lüneburg: a piece of history back!

Rediscovered bronze board in the Museum Lüneburg: a piece of history back!

In the Museum Lüneburg, a remarkable bronze board is currently being exhibited, which is reminiscent of an essential event in German history. It is a 136 x 68 cm and 60 kg table, which marks the partial capitulation of the German Wehrmacht on May 4, 1945 on Timeloberg near Wendisch Evern. This table is not just a piece of history, but a symbol of the end of the fights in northwestern Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands, four days before the overall capitulation in Reims and Berlin-Karlshorst took place. So the taz on the meaning of this memorial plaque.

The table was set up by British occupiers in 1945 and announced the victory of the Allies and the unconditional surrender of the German troops in English. It was originally part of the so -called "Victory Hill Monument" on Timeloberg. However, the events around the board are turbulent: in 1955 it disappeared under mysterious circumstances, which led to numerous speculation about her whereabouts. Among other things, the Uelzen gymnastics youth, which allegedly buried the table in a forest, was suspected. Eberhard Manzke, the founder of the "Peace Foundation Günter Manzke", and the Lüneburg hobby historian Hans-Joachim Boldt also campaigned for the rediscovery of the board for years, such as the NDR describes.

The search for the table

The years after theft were characterized by secret rumors about the whereabouts of the board. She was suspected of being buried in a forest, then it said that it could have been used as a cover for a jaunch trove or had been exchanged for auto parts. The history of the board took a spectacular turn when it was finally found in 2022. Thanks to the use of metal detectors and creative information from residents, the board was finally brought back. The handover, which took place under anonymous circumstances in a parking lot of a supermarket, closed a chapter that lasted almost seven decades.

On May 17, 2023, the table was ceremoniously presented at a award ceremony of the Peace Foundation. It is part of the special exhibition "Surrender 45", which can still be seen in the Lüneburg Museum until November and illuminates the capitulation talks. Museum director Heike Düselder emphasizes that the visibility of the board in cooperation with British partners is particularly important. Finally, the British armed forces decided to leave the board of the city of Lüneburg, and the Imperial War Museum plans to leave the Tafel in Lüneburg as part of the permanent exhibition in the future.

historical perspective

The partial capital on May 4, 1945 was a crucial point in the final phase of the Second World War. During this time, the Nazi regime mobilized all available forces to combat the impending defeat. The German Wehrmacht stuck in a dramatic withdrawal and fought against the overwhelming of the Allies, which increasingly penetrated the German core country. On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide, followed by the surrender of Berlin on May 2. The final unconditional surrender of Germany was then explained on May 7, 1945. However, Japan continued the war far until it finally had to surrender on August 15, 1945, which marked the end of the Second World War, such as the bpb Thematized.

With the rediscovery of the bronze plaque from Timeloberg, not only a piece of past is brought back, but also the memory of the horrors and teachings from the war are held actively. The table thus stands for the reprintalization of history and the importance of memory of the dark chapters of mankind.