“Certainly not traitors to the state” – presentation in the Fritz Bauer Foyer of the district administration office
As the Groß-Gerau district administration reports, exhibition on the trial of July 20, 1944 is currently foyer of the Groß-Gerau district office . Titled "'Traitors' or 'Heroes?' – Fritz Bauer and the Trial of July 20, 1944," the exhibition sheds light on a chapter of German post-war history that attracted nationwide attention.
The 1952 trial in Braunschweig
The focus is on the trial that the then Braunschweig Attorney General Fritz Bauer against Otto Ernst Remer Remer, commander of the "Großdeutschland" guard battalion in 1944 and later co-founder of the far-right "Socialist Reich Party," had publicly denounced the July 20th plotters as "traitors."
Bauer sued Remer for "defamation" and "insulting the memory of the deceased" —successfully. The verdict, which sentenced Remer to three months in prison , became a milestone in the recognition of the resistance against Hitler . It contributed significantly to acknowledging the actions of Stauffenberg's conspirators as a morally justified act of conscience.
Remembering a courageous lawyer
In honor of Fritz Bauer, the entrance hall of the district administration building has borne the name Fritz Bauer Foyer District Administrator Thomas Will described the fact that the exhibition is now being shown there as particularly fitting: it marks the beginning of the planned revitalization of the foyer as a place for cultural and historical encounters.
In times of dwindling trust in democratic institutions and values, Will said, referring to a recent study by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, it is all the more important to take responsibility and encourage reflection – also through exhibitions like this one.
Exhibition open until November 28th
The exhibition, conceived German Resistance Memorial Center be viewed Friday, November 28, 2025 , during the opening hours of the Groß-Gerau district office
At the opening, District Administrator Will thanked all those involved – the district council as the initiator, the district cultural office as the organizer, the German Resistance Memorial Center , and Christian Suhr , director of the BüchnerBühne Riedstadt Fritz Bauer's impressive plea at the opening . In it, Bauer had emphasized that the men of July 20th had wanted "not to betray, but to save" their country. His appeal to the court was: " Please decide based on the law. "
Further information about the Groß-Gerau district office can be found at www.kreisgg.de
(Gross-Gerau-Red/PSGG)
Featured image: Actor Christian Suhr contributed to the opening of the trial by reciting Fritz Bauer's original closing argument. Photo: District Administration
