Freie Universitaet Berlin: Freie Universität Berlin, Max Planck Society, and the Berlin Heritage Authority Are Planning the Burial of Human Remains Found on Campus
A burial is currently being planned for the human remains that have been uncovered in the course of several excavations on the Freie Universität Berlin campus since 2015. The members of a working group made up of institutions researching the origins of the remains, including Freie Universität Berlin, the Max Planck Society (as the successor to the Kaiser Wilhelm Society), and the Berlin Heritage Authority (Landesdenkmalamt Berlin) announced on November 17, 2022 that the scientific investigation of the bones had been concluded. A date has not yet been set for the burial. It will take place at the Waldfriedhof Dahlem cemetery.
The findings from the investigations led by archaeologist Professor Susan Pollock were presented at an online informational event in February 2021. In response to the findings, the Central Council of Jews in Germany and the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma spoke out against further analyses of the human bones and in favor of giving the remains a dignified burial. This recommendation was approved in discussions with organizations representing other potentially affected groups who had attended the public event in February 2021. These groups included the State Association of German Sinti and Roma in Berlin-Brandenburg (Landesverband Deutscher Sinti und Roma Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.); the Initiative of Black People in Germany (Initiative Schwarze Menschen in Deutschland Bund e.V.); Central Council of the African Community in Germany (Zentralrat der Afrikanischen Gemeinde); representatives of the Herero in Berlin; save space e.V. (an association that promotes intersectionality and inclusion); Working Group of Victims of National Socialist “Euthanasia” and Forced Sterilization; Kellerkinder e.V. (an association that represents people with mental and psychological disabilities); korientation e.V. (representing Asian-Germans); IniRromnja / RomaniPhen e.V. (feminist Roma and Sinti organizations); and Berlin Postkolonial e.V. (an association that addresses Berlin’s colonial history and works together with various decolonization initiatives).
The human remains recovered from the excavations stem from victims of crimes. They were stored on the premises of the former Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Anthropology, Human Heredity, and Eugenics. On the basis of the investigations conducted, it cannot be excluded that some of the bones might originate from a context directly linked to National Socialist crimes. However, the non-invasive osteological analyses in combination with historical research do not permit an attribution to specific colonized regions or definitive National Socialist contexts, nor was it possible to identify individual victims. A geophysical survey of the premises in February 2022 did not provide any concrete evidence of other potential locations with similar finds. Nonetheless, any work done on the property that involves ground penetration, whether maintenance work or construction, will continue to be closely monitored by archaeologists.
In light of the results of the investigations, the representatives from the different grassroots associations and organizations have agreed that no further analyses should be performed on the human remains. Rather, they have agreed that any attempts to assign the human remains to specific groups using invasive measures would essentially reproduce the racist methods and classifications of the past and should therefore be rejected.
The members of the working group and the representatives from the different organizations and associations also agreed that the human remains should be laid to rest in a dignified manner, without the use of religious or Eurocentric symbols. The plan is to perform the burial ceremony collectively in order to emphasize solidarity of the victim groups. The representatives of the organizations and associations will also be involved in the planning of the burial and the gravesite.