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We were very sad to learn of the sudden death of our friend and colleague Christoph Stölzl on January 10, 2023. The chairman of our board of directors, André Schmitz:

“It is an unimaginable loss. With the death of Christoph Stölzl, we have lost not only our highly esteemed founding director. He was much more than that: a passionate colleague, a wise adviser, experienced curator, but above all our friend. With his vast encyclopedic knowledge, his fine sense of irony, his charm, and his never-ending enthusiasm for the Exilmuseum project, he infected and convinced all those he encountered. Exilmuseum was a project very close to his heart. To honor his memory, we will be untiring in our efforts to make his vision of Exilmuseum a reality.”

In his long and diverse career, the historian Christoph Stölzl served not only as director of Munich’s Stadtmuseum and the founding director of Berlin’s Deutsches Historisches Museum. In 2000, he was also named Berlin’s Senator for Science, Education, and Culture, in 2010 becoming president of Weimar’s Hochschule für Musik. As a journalist and writer, he published numerous articles and books and was a member of various committees and foundations. In 2020, he was awarded the Große Bundesverdienstkreuz (Great Cross of Merit) for his achievements related to the historical treatment of the Second World War and the Holocaust.

We owe him our endless gratitude for sharing his immense experience as a historian, journalist, cultural manager, and museum director with our project and allowing us to learn from him. Personally speaking, the time that we had with him was invaluable to us. We will actively commemorate Christoph Stölzl in our work. Our heartfelt sympathy goes to his friends and family.

In sorrow,

André Schmitz, Kai Drabe, Bernd Schultz, Ruth Ur, Johannes Wien (Board of Directors)
Meike-Marie Thiele, Cornelia Vossen, Sarah Blendin, Dana Müller, Philipp Sukstorf, Nicole Skoczowsky (Team)