For almost 35 years, he shaped the development of the Schifflersgrund border museum like no other. He is now handing over responsibility for the memorial’s supporting association to younger people, while at the same time remaining involved in a new role. Wolfgang Ruske (84), the long-standing chairman of the Arbeitskreis Grenzinformation e.V., decided not to stand for re-election at last Friday’s general meeting for reasons of age. He had already announced this decision in advance.
Ruske has been chairman of the association since it was founded in 1990. Together with other volunteers, he ensured the preservation of the GDR border fortifications at Schifflersgrund near Sickenberg and the establishment and expansion of the border museum of the same name, which is one of the first and oldest institutions of its kind in Germany. Opened on October 3, 1991, the memorial and learning site became a success story of civil society’s culture of remembrance under his leadership. For more than two decades, the museum was run almost exclusively on a voluntary basis – from cashier services to exhibition production and construction work. The fact that the institution is now run by full-time staff and has undergone a comprehensive redesign is also largely down to him.
At the members’ meeting, Hessian Minister President Boris Rhein paid tribute to the extraordinary voluntary work in a video message. Ruske had “fought tirelessly, dedicatedly and persistently for the preservation and further development of the historical site and also set the right course for the professionalization and redesign of the memorial,” said Rhein.
Dr. Bernd-Uwe Althaus, the Thuringian State Secretary for Education, who also spoke with a video greeting, looked back on the many years of cooperation as the former head of the North Thuringia School Board and thanked Ruske for his services.
In another video, which was specially produced and edited, employees, association members and companions spoke. They reminisced about their first encounters, the friendships that developed, cherished rituals and joint projects. In addition, the former District Administrator of the Eichsfeld district, Dr. Werner Henning, who attended the moving meeting in person, paid tribute to Ruske’s special achievements.
He is no longer a member of the association’s board, which has been newly formed around Stefan Heuckeroth-Hartmann, Gerhard Propf and Thilo Booß. However, the border museum will still be able to draw on the experience and advice of the 84-year-old from Bad Sooden-Allendörfer in the future. He was elected honorary chairman of the association by the members before the evening ended with a small reception and many conversations about their time together at the border museum.