A Friendship Across Borders

Dear Visitors and Friends of the Documentation Centre for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation,

Amid devastating wars and conflicts, more people than ever before are fleeing their homes or being displaced. In these challenging times, we are reminded of the importance of standing together and supporting one another.

A deep friendship also gave Ruth Kociesa and Eva Maria Möhring (see animation) strength. Despite fleeing from Upper Silesia and building new lives in separate places, they always stayed in touch. At Christmas in 2010—67 years later—one friend gave the other a very special gift from their old homeland. You can learn more about this heartfelt gesture below.

During this festive season, we wish you moments to pause, appreciate joy, and cherish friendship. Let us look ahead to the new year with hope, despite the turbulence in the world.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATION:
A FRIENDSHIP ACROSS BORDERS

At Christmas in 2010, 89-year-old Ruth Kociesa gave her friend Eva Maria Möhring a tablecloth she had embroidered herself—a gift that held deep sentimental value. Originally, Eva Maria had gifted Ruth the tablecloth on Christmas Eve in 1943. The two women, both born in Upper Silesia, had been friends since childhood in Kreuzburg (now Kluczbork). In January 1945, Ruth carried the tablecloth with her as she fled the approaching front across the Giant Mountains, through Bohemia and Slovakia, and eventually to Carinthia. As a symbol of her lasting bond with Eva Maria, who had also endured displacement and separation, Ruth returned the cherished keepsake to her friend decades later.

In 2017, Eva Maria Möhring’s son donated this testament to an extraordinary friendship, along with documents and photographs, to our Testimony Archive. The friendship between these two women lasted a lifetime, offering a poignant reminder of the human stories behind displacement and loss. Each personal account is a piece in the mosaic of memories of displacement, expulsion, and uprooting.

Even 80 years after the events of displacement and expulsion at the end of World War II, our efforts to collect these memories continue. Beginning in January, under the theme “1945 – Between War and Peace,” we are launching a nationwide call: Share the memories of displacement and expulsion preserved within your families. Help us create a meaningful mosaic of remembrance for future generations!