The exhibition centers around the story of Hanna Pastukh (1922–1983), a forced laborer from the village of Tsykov, Smotrytskyi district (now Kamianets-Podilskyi district) in the Khmelnytskyi region. From 1942 to 1945, she endured forced labor in the city of Gelsenkirchen in North Rhine-Westphalia. In October 2022, the NGO “After Silence” team managed to purchase her letters through an online auction and later researched additional information in Ukrainian and German archives, as well as during a visit to Tsykova. The exhibition title features a quote from one of Hanna’s letters addressed to her mother.
The exhibition’s preview presentation took place on January 20, 2024, at the Schalke 04 Football Club Museum, in Gelsenkirchen.
From January 22 to February 23, 2024, it was displayed at the Gelsenkirchen Science Park.
From November 22 to December 14, 2024, the exhibition was available in the hall of the Philosophy Institute at the University of Münster.
Photos: Anna Yatsenko, NGO “After Silence”
Publications:
Beim Heimspiel gegen den HSV: Kostenlose Ausstellung im Schalke Museum – FC Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e.V.
“Aus der Ferne in meine Ukraine”. ISG-Ausstellung: Briefe der Zwangsarbeiterin Hanna Pastuch aus Gelsenkirchen 1942-1943 – Wissenschaftspark Gelsenkirchen
Ausstellung über das Schicksal ukrainischer Zwangsarbeiter – Universität Münster
The exhibition was created by:
Andrii Usach – Researcher;
Andrii Dostliev – Artist, Designer;
Daria Reznyk – Coordinator in Germany;
Anna Yatsenko – Coordinator in Ukraine;
Dr. Sabine Kittel – Deputy Director of the Gelsenkirchen Institute for Urban Research;
Olena Martynchuk – Researcher;
Viktoria Eismunt – Literary editor;
Nelia Vakhovska, Claudia Dathe, Susanne Macht – Translators;
Ihor Khorkavyi – audio editing;
Iryna Dutkevych – photo restoration;
Yuliana Dradrah – Accountant.
We extend our gratitude for the support in preparing the exhibition to Dr. Oksana Kuzmenko, Halyna Bilous, Nelia Pohorzhelska, Nataliia Yarova, Liubov Zhurba, Anna Horobets, Liudmyla Korneieva, and Hanna Kovalevska.
The exhibition was created in collaboration with the Gelsenkirchen Institute for Urban Studies with the support of Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).