“It’s been a dream of mine for a very long time, to visit my father’s grave” said Bogna Goetzendorf-Grabowska visibly moved on the War Cemetery at Parnewinkel. For the first time, the Polish lady did visit the grave of her father Marian Mikolajewski – more than 60 years after his death in the Sandbostel POW Camp.
With help given by the Documentation and Memorial Association Sandbostel, she was able to find the last resting place of her father, who died in 1941. Yesterday the decisive moment came for the 67-year old. Together with her son Tomasz Goetzendorf-Grabowski and her daughter Isabelle Goetzendorf-Marciniak she did arrive at Parnewinkel.
Through the Association’s homepage (www.dokumentationstaette-sandbostel.de), Thomas Goetzendorf-Grabowski got nearly one year ago into contact with Karl-Heinz Buck from Bevern and told him of his mother’s wish. The deputy chairman of the Documentation and Memorial Association started searching for Marian Mikolajewski’s grave. “I was successful after a short search here in Parnewinkel”, said Buck. Together with Dr. Klaus Volland he did accompany the Polish visitors yesterday to the War Cemetery.
Mirian Mikolajewski was transfered as Polish POW from Itzehoe to the Stalag XB at Sandbostel. Her he did die on January 19th, 1941 because of pneumonia. Together with 61 Russian, Polish, serbian and Belgian dead from the First and Second World War, he is buried in Parnewinkel War Cemetery.
Before Bogna Goetzendorf Grabowska and her children did visit the grave, they took part in a Roman Catholic requiem in the honor of Marian Mikolajewski, read in the Catholic Church at Bremervoerde. At the registry office in Bremervoerde, they did receive a copy of the death certificate. After the visit to the grave, the 67-year old lady did thank Dr. Klaus Volland and Karl-Heinz Buck: “Your association is very helpful for people like me.”

Klaus Volland, vice chairman of the association “Documentation-and-Memorial-Site Sandbostel”, which had arranged the ceremony, called the unveiling of the Memorial Stone, who, by the way, was erected 58 years after WW2’s end not by Germans but by a Belgian, a “sign of hope”
The background: When the “Amicale de Neuengamme”, an association of former Belgian KZ inmates did visit the Camp in last April, it was criticized, that no memorial reminds of the prisoners’ sufferings. In February of this year, the sons of two Belgian POWs, Jean Coox and Joseph Smeets, were guests of the Memorial Site Sandbostel. On this occasion, Jean Coox, whose son is stonemason, did declare spontaneously his willingness, to let this stone be made on his own expenses. On Saturday before Easter, Detlef Cordes, Helmut Winkelmann and the Coox family jointly put it up in front of the Camp Church. Formulating the inscription was left to the Memorial Association’s managing commitee. Klaus Volland: “We did reach the conclusion, to dedicate this Stone to the victims among the prisoners-of-war and the KZ inmates together.” And further: “We do thank the parish expressively for making the setting up possible and we do hope too, that the Stone will find a lasting place here.”
In view of the decaying ruins of the Camp, Klaus Volland did remind of the stopping of talks on the level of communties and country about a memorial on the historic camp grounds, because no agreement could be found concerning its location. “ But these are absolut unique remains of a German POW camp, likewise can not be found any where else in the area of the former German Reich. Here immediately decisions have to be made to conserve it.”
At the demonstration’s closure, tthe more than 100 participants did lay down red carnations beside the Stone. A service in the Camp Church did end the memorial event. The lecture was read by the Country’s Dean Manfred Horch from Stade.

„At the most, four people did arrive“
Former prisoner-of-war Dmitry Lomonosov from Russia visits Sandbostel

Exactly 58 years will have passed on wednesday tomorrow after the liberation of POW Camp Stalag XB at Sandbostel. After this long time, the former prisoner Dmitry Lomonosov from Russia did decide, to visit this place.
The now 78 year old teacher Lomonosov came with his children Katja and Andrej following an invitation from the Documentation and Memorial Association Sandbostel and had a look around Bremervörde Station and the Association’s documentation site, which can also be found in the town on the Oste.
In 1944, Dmitry Lomonosov was taken prisoner by the Germans. From a camp in the Polish town Torn they first had to march along the Baltic Sea and then were transported by train westward. Seeing Bremervörde Station again today, Lomonosov was visibly moved. Klaus Volland led the Russian guests through the premises of the Documentation and Memorial Site at Grosser Platz, Bremervörde. While his children said unanimous, that their father didn’t talk about his prisonship for many years, he was now more talkative.
Many memories were unearthed: It was January 1945, when Lomonosov and his fellow-prisoners did arrive in Germany in groups of 100. POWs, who couldn’t walk any longer were shot in Poland. To the west of Rostock, Lomonosov did collapse. Having spent all his strength, he asked for being shot, too. The German guards, though, didn’t comply with this “request”. The prisoners were placed on railway carriages and driven to Bremervörde. At the most four of the one-hundred men riding in Lomonosov’s wagon did survive. With trucks, they were transported to Stalag XB at Sandbostel.
The visit at the Documentation Site was the start for a stay lasting a few days: After a reception by the Sandbostel Commune and viewing the former camp ground and the cemetery, today there’ll be a reception at Bremervörde Town Hall, and afterwards, starting 18.00, a demonstration
on the former camp area and a service in the Camp Church. By the way, Lomonosov’ memories can be found on www.ldbl.narod.ru in Russian and English.

240502: The mayor from sandbostel community speaks against a memorial on the former Camp’s grounds, fearing disadvantages for and trouble with the companies in the commercial estate there.

260602: Recently, talks took place betweeen politicians, communities‘ delegates and members of the Sandbostel Memorial Ass. about these problems, but no results were published.

210802: At a meeting of the local Socialist Democratic party, the participants vote for a new building on the former Camp’s grounds as opposed to renovating/converting one of the original huts.

130902: Christian Democratic Union members decide, that, without financial support from the government and the federal state of Niedersachsen, only a simple plaque can be erected at Sandbostel.

140902: The CDU’s above-mentioned minimalist solution became reason for irritations at Bremervörde and Sandbostel. A comitee is working behind closed doors sinc three months on determining the definite size and location of a memorial. It has be heard, that a two-storey combined exhibiton- and teaching-building will be erected on the Camp Church’s parking space, which belongs to Sandbostel Community. This solution will also be tolerated by the adjacent trading companies.

210902: The Sandbostel Community Council did vote unequivocal against a memorial on the former Camp‘s grounds, thereby messing up all prepartions and plans made till now. They did follow the vote of a citizens‘ assembly from August, who did fear disadvantages for the companies in the commercial estate „Immenhain“. The mayor didn’t want to comment on plans of transfering a plot of land belonging to the Community to the District with the aim of erecting a memorial building there. The Sandbostel Memorial Association will continue the work for a decent place for remembrance in Sandbostel.