ADVERTISING
Memories of post-war Darmstadt on April 23rd
On Wednesday, April 23, 2025, Erwin Kreim will read from his book "How I Became a Heiner: Darmstadt 1939–1959" . Admission is free. Donations to support the BVM's lawsuits against the development of the Bürgerpark are welcome.
Erwin Kreim was born in Darmstadt in 1939 and experienced the destruction of the city during the Second World War firsthand as a child. In his work, he vividly recounts his childhood and youth in the Watzeviertel district – marked by phosphorus burnings , escape to the Odenwald forest , return to Darmstadt , and the reconstruction in abject poverty after the war.
The memories range from the night of the fire and the care he received in the Erbach hospital to the early death of his father in 1947. With many documentary images and personal insights, Kreim describes the development of Darmstadt, playing in the ruins, early cultural offerings, sporting activities, and his professional start with a bank apprenticeship.
The reading promises a moving insight into Darmstadt in the 1940s and 50s – told from the perspective of a contemporary witness who can authentically report on the formative years of the city's history.
Further information about the book can be found at:
👉 How I Became a Heiner – ODW Publishing
(DARMSTADT – RED/BVM)
