Workshop "Oral history" – First day

In the morning after the arrival of the guests from Poland, Turkey and the Netherlands our second workshop starts with the lecture of the historian, Werner Straukamp. Werner was born and grown up in our hometown and he is an expert of our local history. He tells the audience of the singular Oral History. Talking with historian testimonials the historian will get new information about the migrant history. The next four days the students will try the oral history talking with migrants from different countries. Some of the guests are living since the sixties in Nordhorn, other came to Nordhorn the last two years.

In the afternoon Werner starts a bike tour to the different local points connected with the migrant history of Nordhorn. First stop is the old station of Nordhorn where in the sixties and seventies the so-called Gastarbeiter from Turkey and Portugal arrived at Nordhorn. They worked in the textile industry of Nordhorn and Werner shows the group the former big textile factories of Rawe, Nino, and Povel. The students and their teacher see the house where the first workers from Portugal lived. Then the students guided by Werner go to the quarter Blanke where the majority of inmigrants settled down and lived in little houses. Werner shows the group the meeting centers of the club of the Turkish factory Workers and the cultural Portuguese center.

Two hours on the bike  - easy for the german and dutch participants because they are used to ride a bike. Not so easy for the Turkish and Polish guests because they do not use the bikes in their hometowns. All of us must wear funny helmets to protect our heads but honestly, the students do not like it. Helmets aren't cool but oldfashioned.