The German Exile Archive 1933–1945 at the German National Library

As part of Germany’s cultural memory, the German National Library collects, documents, and archives all media works, in text, image, and sound, that have been published since 1913 in printed and digital form in and about Germany or in the German language. With approximately 56 million media items, it is Germany’s largest library. It houses valuable and extensive special collections, including the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 and the German Book and Writing Museum. It makes its collections and services available in the reading rooms in Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main and, to the extent permitted by law, worldwide in digital form. The German National Library sees itself as a scientific, educational, and cultural institution and offers a diverse program of exhibitions, events, guided tours, and educational opportunities at its locations.

The German Exile Archive 1933–1945 at the German National Library is a place dedicated to exploring the themes of exile and emigration during the Nazi era. The extensive collection includes evidence of this exile: publications, as well as institutional and personal estates. The Exile Archive was co-founded by exiles themselves, who saw it as a tool for political education. This is one reason why cultural outreach plays a particularly important role: through exhibitions, events, and publications, the Archive conveys the complexity of exile, thereby making an important contribution to a vibrant culture of remembrance.

Dr. Irina Scherbakowa is a founding member of the NGO MEMORIAL, which was dissolved by the Russian Supreme Court in 2022 and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize that same year. Since the summer of 2022, Scherbakowa, who holds a doctorate in German studies and is a translator and historian, has been living in exile in Germany, where she continues the organization’s work as chair of the board of the association Zukunft MEMORIAL.

“Over the past 20 years, about 5 million people have left Russia. One of the most important achievements of perestroika was the opening of the borders: After many decades of isolation, the people of Russia gained one of the most fundamental freedoms, freedom of movement.

Many left the country because the economic reforms placed a heavy burden on them. Yet there was no tragedy in this exodus: the doors did not open in only one direction. It seemed possible to go abroad to work or study without it meaning you could never return. Whether to return or stay became an individual decision.

However, as Putin’s regime increasingly transformed into a dictatorship, the number of people who left the country for political reasons, or were even forced to flee, to escape persecution and arrest grew. The actual mass exodus (nearly 1 million) began, however, after the attack on Ukraine. For these people, the question arose: Why was Putin able to turn the country into a place where it had become impossible for them to live? How could they counter the accusations they heard from Ukrainians who had been forced to leave their country to avoid dying under Russian missiles or becoming victims of crimes committed by the Russian army?

Equally unavoidable was the question of what one can do in exile: Is resistance possible, and what might it look like? It’s easy to fall into despair, as there is no light at the end of the tunnel and no signs of an imminent collapse of Putin’s regime. Even after four years, many emigrants continue to feel longing and despair.

There are no easy answers here. But one thing is clear: Action is better than inaction. That means creating organizations and media outlets that operate across borders to become the voice of those who are forced into silence in their own country. It means gathering information, as human rights organizations do, to document the regime’s crimes. When Putin’s regime imposes censorship, this means that those who have left Russia must preserve and further develop a culture of freedom. But the most important things are solidarity and cooperation, both with other diasporas from countries whose people have also fled war and dictatorship, and with civil society in the countries where they now live.”

The key visual for the Days of Exile Frankfurt 2026 was designed by Nazanin Hafez, an Iranian artist who currently lives and works in Germany. Having grown up amid diverse cultural and political contexts, she has developed a keen sensitivity to power structures, mechanisms of control, and censorship, as well as to the subtle forms of violence in everyday life. In her artistic practice, she critically engages with social and political injustice and seeks to create spaces for reflection on trauma and resistance. She was named “Foam Talent” in 2026. Other awards include the Wüstenrot Foundation’s Documentary Photography Encouragement Prize, the Schloss Balmoral Residency Prize, and the Prix de la Photographie Clervaux. Her works are part of the Museum Folkwang’s photography collection.

Hafez’s work “Happy Nowruz” symbolizes shattered and fragmented memories that leave traces which simultaneously disappear and reemerge. Where memory runs dry, images become vessels of loss, trauma, and imagination. The fragility of memory reveals how violence, information overload, and digital isolation permeate life in exile and render memories vulnerable.

The radio station hr2-kultur and the news platform Amal News (Frankfurt) are accompanying the Days of Exile Frankfurt as cultural partners.