It has been 60 years since Germany and Turkey signed their bilateral recruitment agreement, and many Turks moved to Germany to become guest workers, and now visitors in the town of Sachsenheim in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, can learn the history of migration thanks to an exhibition that has launched to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the agreement.
In the exhibition, which was inaugurated at the Sachsenheim Museum and Culture Palace with the cooperation of the municipality and the Turkish-Islamic Union of Religious Affairs (DITIB) Mimar Sinan Mosque, photographs describing the period, wooden suitcases, clothes and household items have been put on display with interviews about the life story of Anatolian people.
Holger Albrich, mayor of Sachsenheim, said that Sachsenheim is a city that supports living together in peaceful and mutually respectful harmony.
Albrich stated that the life adventure of those who came to Germany 60 years ago from Turkey are exhibited in the museum and cultural center of the city.
"The life stories of those who in their 20s came from different countries and worked in different business sectors for the development of Germany are told (in the museum)," Albrich said.
"Over the years, they became permanent citizens here. They brought their own traditions, cultures and religions here. We got to know and taste döner and baklava at our street festivals and New Year's markets. I would like to thank the DITIB mosque for its successful cooperation and inviting everyone to the exhibition."
"We were guests of many families and witnessed successful stories on the occasion of the exhibition," said Claudia Papp, Director of the Sachsenheim Museum and Culture Palace. "We got to know Turkish cuisine, culture and hospitality closely. The history we experienced is told in our exhibition. We welcome everyone to our exhibition."
DITIB Mimar Sinan Mosque Foundation President Ismet Harbi stated that they tried to keep the life story of those who came by train to Munich from Sirkeci Train Station in Istanbul in the 1960s alive with the exhibition.
Harbi thanked the local administrators of the city for the interest shown in the exhibition.
"The journey that started with a wooden suitcase for a three or five year period, today has reached 60 years. New generations were born and grew up here, continued their education, got a job. Germany has now become the country where those generations live. Sachsenheim has become our hometown."
After the speeches, Mayor Albrich and Harbi posed for a photo with a wooden suitcase, where the adventure of immigration to Germany began.
A medallion with the logo of the museum and the mosque was presented to the visitors of the exhibition, which can be seen until Jan. 14, 2022.