Recht Lebendig! Lectures, guided tours and table talks

Together with cooperation partners from North Rhine-Westphalia, we are inviting to a five-day event with various activities exploring the rule of law. "Recht Lebendig" takes place in the city of Herne from November 10 to 14, 2024. In addition to several projects designed for schools, there will be a wide public programme at various locations in the city. The event kicks off with the screening of an ARD "Tatort" episode at Hülsmann Kulturkneipe, followed by a reality check with experts from the public prosecutor's office and criminal investigation department. During the following days, the programme offers exhibitions, workshops, panel discussions and an interactive quiz on the rule of law. Table-talks invite to exchange ideas and ask questions in a relaxed atmosphere with representatives of the judiciary.

The "Recht Lebendig" event is a cooperation of the Stiftung Forum Recht and the Ministry of Justice of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the City of Herne and the Federal Archive - Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv.

You can find more details on the individual events in the following flyer and on our Topic page. 

14:00
Lecture: Legally secure! Guardianship law: The health care proxy
Location: Herne-Wanne Local Court, Hauptstraße 129, 44651 Herne

Interesting facts about the benefits of a health care proxy and information about guardianship law. Also: The difference to a living will - explanations and tips.

3:00 p.m.
Public guided tour of the photo exhibition SPRAWIEDLIWOŚĆ -JUSTICE
Location: Herne-Wanne Local Court, Hauptstraße 129, 44651 Herne

The right-wing conservative government of the PiS ("Prawo i Sprawiedliwość" / "Law and Justice") party fundamentally restructured the Polish judicial system between 2015 and 2023. In doing so, it de facto abolished the independence of the judiciary in Poland. Judges, public prosecutors and lawyers opposed these interventions. Photojournalist Piotr Wójcik took this commitment as the starting point for the photography project, which can be seen at the Amtsgericht Herne-Wanne from October 29 to November 13. The one-hour guided tour will highlight some of the images, provides background information on the events in Poland and address the question of whether the German constitutional state is also vulnerable.

5:00 pm
Guided tour of the Herne police prison memorial site
Location: Place of remembrance police prison, Karl-Brandt-Weg 7, 44629 Herne

The Nazi era has also left its mark in Herne and shows what it means when law and the rule of law are undermined and state power is used against its own citizens. One example of this is the former Herne police prison. Numerous social democrats, communists and church representatives were imprisoned there, as were Herne citizens who were later deported to concentration camps. As part of the "Action Days: The Rule of Law at Your Fingertips", the "Förderkreis Mahn- und Gedenkstätte Polizeigefängnis Herne e. V." offers a special tour of the otherwise inaccessible building.

Registration by email to: info@erinnerungsort-herne.de
Further information: www.erinnerungsort-herne.de

7:00 p.m.
Lecture: Stasi in the West. Goals, strategies, methods
Location: District Center H2Ö, Hölkeskampring 2, 44625 Herne

The State Security of the GDR is regarded as a symbol of surveillance and injustice. However, it was not only active within the borders of the GDR, but also in the Federal Republic of Germany. Professor Dr Daniela Münkel from the Stasi Records Archive offers a fascinating insight into this and sheds light on the goals, strategies and methods of the Stasi in West Germany in an entertaining lecture.

8:15 p.m.
Table talk: For a soda with ...
Location: District Center H2Ö, Hölkeskampring 2, 44625 Herne

What does a constitutional protector actually do? What goes through a judge's mind when she passes judgment? And what does the Stasi Records Archive do today? Our table talks give you the opportunity to talk to people who play a special role in the German constitutional state through their profession. There is no stage or microphone, just a small round table and drinks. At the tables today you will meet guests from the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the Local and Labor Courts and the Stasi Records Archive.