Researchers in Greifswald are investigating dramatic escapes from the GDR across the Baltic Sea that resulted in death. The project was on the brink due to expiring funding. Now we can continue.
Greifswald (dpa/mv) – A research project based in Greifswald on fatal escapes from the GDR via the Baltic Sea can be continued thanks to money from the state. The Schwerin Ministry of Science is continuing the expiring federal funding and is thus securing the project until the end of 2023, the ministry announced on Thursday.
Because archives were closed during the Corona crisis, for example, the team at the University of Greifswald was behind schedule with their work. According to the project manager Hubertus Buchstein, 101 possible deaths have not yet been researched. “With the fast and unbureaucratically decided financial support for the project, the federal state is assuming its historical-political responsibility.”
According to their own statements, the team has already worked out 138 clearly confirmed cases – some with dramatic fates. They should be prepared and made accessible online. She is very happy about the financing, said employee Merete Peetz, “because it gives us the opportunity to achieve the goals that we have set ourselves.” In the meantime, this goal seemed in danger.
The state is now providing 100,000 euros. Science State Secretary Susanne Bowen (SPD) explained: “Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is the only East German federal state with a coast. In this respect, it is also in the interest of the state to deal with this special aspect of the past.”
