Archive of Other Memories

About the project ⇓
Contact ⇓
The Team ⇓
Archive use ⇓
Overview of interviews ⇓
Statistical data ⇓
cooperation projects and films ⇓
Note of thanks ⇓

The “Archive of Other Memories” (Archiv der anderen Erinnerungen – AdaE) is an interview project (oral history) whose aim is to honour the life reality of queer people and render it visible to future generations. Queer life stories in all their diversity are now depicted in 100 biographical video interviews.

Thanks to the support, commitment and expert knowledge of queer groups, various video archives and other experts, it was possible to begin conducting the first interviews in December 2013. Since then, the AdaE has been used every week by interested parties, especially from academia, research and education.

The goals of the AdaE correspond to the foundation purpose of the BMH and are integrated as follows in the foundation Articles of Association: By means of “collection, documentation and academic evaluation of materials and contemporary witness reports”, the lifeworlds and everyday experiences of queer people who live and have lived in Germany are to be researched and made visible.

Preserving these frequently forgotten aspects of the history of West and East Germany is of enormous value to the BMH and the numerous researchers and interested parties who use the AdaE. What is crucial for us is that queer people depict the realities of their lives in their own words.

Then please get into contact personally/confidentially with the project management and Academic Advisors Culture, History and Remembrance of the BMH: We appreciate all interest shown and if you get in contact will treat the matter in a discreet and confidential manner.

You can also contact us by mail:
Mohrenstraße 34 (soon to be Anton-Wilhelm-Amo-Str. 34)
10117 Berlin

If you have any general questions about the archive, you can reach us at hannah.zipfel@mh-stiftung.de.

The team for the conduct of the interviews consists of people with different sexual orientations and gender identities and different social, cultural and professional backgrounds. All share an interest and also academic expertise in the past, present and future life situations of LSBTIQ.

Note: We apologise for the inconvenience that at the moment processing your queries on using the biographical interviews in the project “Archive of Other Memories” may take somewhat longer. Thank you very much for your patience. Your team of the Bundesstiftung

Since December 2013, 103 life story interviews have been conducted. We thank all interviewees for their trust and willingness to tell their life stories.

>> Directly to the interviews from the recording year 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013.

At the end of the list you will find statistical data on the interviews conducted so far (as of December 20, 2022).

Mischa Badasyan, 24 November 2024, conduct: Tarek Shukrallah, Andreas Pretzel and Benjamin Bayer, 2:53:25 h.

Pierre Sanoussi-Bliss, 14 November 2024, conduct: Karl-Heinz Steinle, Andreas Pretzel and Katharina Rivilis, 4:39:12 h.

İpek İpekçioğlu, 16 October 2024, conduct: Karl-Heinz Steinle, Hannah Zipfel, Andreas Pretzel and Benjamin Bayer, 3:08:01 h.

Gottfried Lorenz, 21 April 2024, conduct: Janina Rieck, Andreas Pretzel and Benjamin Bayer, 5:09:04 h.

Robin Cackett, 10 December 2023, conduct: Janina Rieck, Andreas Pretzel and Benjamin Bayer, 4:59:00 h.

Vivian Wagner, 8 September 2023, conduct: Janina Rieck, Cindy Ballaschk and Benjamin Bayer, 2:04:01 h.

Tina Stroheker, 4 July 2023, conduct: Karl-Heinz Steinle, Julia Noah Munier and Benjamin Bayer, 4:00:38 h.

Michael Jähme, 6 May 2023, conduct: Marcus Velke-Schmidt, Andreas Pretzel and Benjamin Bayer, 7:59:52 h.

Jürgen Höhn, 21 May 2023, conduct: Karl-Heinz Steinle, Cindy Ballaschk, Andreas Pretzel and Benjamin Bayer, 3:15:53 h.

Peter Rausch, 16 April 2023, conduct: Andreas Pretzel, Karl-Heinz Steinle and Katharina Rivilis, 5:09:12 h.

Wilhelm Lotze, 26 March 2023, Conduct: Karl-Heinz Steinle, Katrin Ebell and Katharina Rivilis, 4:36:05 h.

Barbara Stadermann, 17 December 2022, conduct: Andreas Pretzel, Julia Noah Munier and Benjamin Bayer, 3:30:44 h.

Dr. Tatjana Eggeling, 11 December 2022, conduct: Karl-Heinz Steinle, Julia Noah Munier and Benjamin Bayer, 4:38:47 h.

Burkhard Bock, 6 December 2022, conduct: Andreas Pretzel, Karl-Heinz Steinle and Benjamin Bayer, 1:53:19 h.

Ann-Katrin Gödde, 13 November 2022, conduct: Marcus Velke-Schmidt, Andreas Pretzel and Katharina Rivilis, 2:49:15 h.

Paul Raschka, 9 November 2022, conduct: Marcus Velke-Schmidt, Andreas Pretzel and Benjamin Bayer, 2:45:08 h.

Stefan Reiß, 5 November 2022, conduct: Andreas Pretzel, Karl-Heinz Steinle and Benjamin Bayer, 6:08:25 h.

Uwe Marlaine Mädger, 1 November 2022, conduct: Karl-Heinz Steinle, Julia Noah Munier and Katharina Rivilis, 2:56:19 h.

Marian Hudek, 30 October 2022, conduct: Karl-Heinz Steinle, Andreas Pretzel and Benjamin Bayer, 2:45:19 h.

Carolyn Gammon, 9 October 2022, conduct: Janina Rieck, Katrin Ebell and Katharina Rivilis, 3:46:41 h.

Katharina Oguntoye, 2 October 2022, conduct: Janina Rieck, Katrin Ebell and Katharina Rivilis, 3:26:05 h.

Nora Eckert, 8 September 2022, conduct: Karl-Heinz Steinle, Andreas Pretzel and Benjamin Bayer, 2:54:56 h.

Juan Allende-Blin, 21 July 2022, Conduct: Marcus Velke-Schmidt, Andreas Pretzel and Benjamin Bayer, 4:26:25 h.

Holger Klotzbach, 1 March 2022, conduct: Karl-Heinz Steinle, Andreas Pretzel and Benjamin Bayer, 2:28:44 h.

Barbara Schrade, 19 December 2021, conduct: Andreas Pretzel, Katrin Ebell and Katharina Rivilis, 3:19:15 h.

Janka Kluge, 5 December 2021, conduct: Andreas Pretzel, Katrin Ebell and Katharina Rivilis, 4:09:37 h.

Cornelia Klein, 26 November 2021, conduct: Karl-Heinz Steinle, Andreas Pretzel and Benjamin Bayer, 2:22:22 h.

Dr. Renate Försterling, 21 October 2021, conduct: Andreas Pretzel, Karl-Heinz Steinle and Benjamin Bayer, 3:27:06 h.

G. K., 17 October 2021, conduct: Andreas Pretzel, Karl-Heinz Steinle and Benjamin Bayer, 2:02:09 h.

Jeannette Françoise Bühler, 13 October 2021, conduct: Andres Pretzel, Karl-Heinz Steinle and Benjamin Bayer, 3:29:11 h.

Andrea Jüsgen, 10 October 2021, conduct: Andreas Pretzel, Katrin Ebell and Benjamin Bayer, 3:43:25 h.

Harald Linss/Frenchy, 5 September 2021, conduct: Karl-Heinz Steinle, Andreas Pretzel and Benjamin Bayer, 3:25:08 h.

Anne Simon, 29 August 2021, conduct: Marcus Velke-Schmidt, Janina Rieck and Benjamin Bayer, 3:23:15 h.

Dr. Barbara Degen, 1 August 2021, conduct: Marcus Velke-Schmidt, Kristina Hens and Katharina Rivilis, 3:59:38 h.

Sophie Sänger, 24 July 2021, conduct: Marcus Velke-Schmidt, Katrin Ebell and Katharina Rivilis, 3:24:30 h.

Reinhard Klenke, 22 July 2021, conduct: Marcus Velke-Schmidt, Andreas Pretzel and Benjamin Bayer, 3:17:04 h.

Carolina Brauckmann, 17 July 2021, Conduct: Katrin Ebell, Marcus Velke-Schmidt and Katharina Rivilis, 3:25:29 h.

Christoph Müller, 4 July 2021, Conduct: Karl-Heinz Steinle, Andreas Pretzel and Benjamin Bayer, 2:42:19 h.

Felix Adrian Schäper, 27 June 2021, conduct: Marcus Velke-Schmidt, Kristina Hens and Benjamin Bayer, 04:48:19 h.

Michael Panzer (Ms. Wommy Wonder), 20 June 2021, conduct: Karl-Heinz Steinle, Julia Noah Munier and Benjamin Bayer, 03:53:36 h.

Eva Stegemann, 13 June 2021, conduct: Janina Rieck, Marcus Velke-Schmidt and Katharina Rivilis, 03:01:10 h.

Annemarie Renftle, 06 June 2021, conduct: Karl-Heinz Steinle, Katrin Ebell and Katharina Rivilis, 03:09:59 h.

Ulla Naumann, 30 May 2021, conduct: Katrin Ebell, Kristina Hens and Katharina Rivilis, 1:38:50 h.

Hans-Joachim Engel, 30 April 2021, conduct: Andreas Pretzel, Karl-Heinz Steinle, Benjamin Bayer and Marcus Velke-Schmidt, 4:01:01 h.

Helga Helsper, 18 April 2021, conduct: Kristina Hens, Katrin Ebell and Katharina Rivilis, 3:23:29 h.

Dierk Koch, 11 April 2021, conduct: Andreas Pretzel, Karl-Heinz Steinle and Benjamin Bayer, 3:28:44 h.

Claudia Gehrke, 17 January 2021, conduct: Karl-Heinz Steinle, Andrea Rottmann and Daniel Baranowski, 3:58:16 h.

Ernst Ostertag, 3 January 2021, conduct: Karl-Heinz Steinle, Andreas Pretzel and Daniel Baranowski, 7:47:39 h.

Barbara Binek, 1 November 2020, conduct: Katrin Ebell, Andreas Pretzel and Katharina Rivilis, 03:00:13 h..

Ingrid Klebon, 20 September 2020, conduct: Andreas Pretzel, Katrin Ebell and Katharina Rivilis, 03:02:36 h.

Christel R., 14 December 2019, Conduct: Andreas Pretzel, Kristina Hens, Katharina Rivilis and Liam Bley, 02:55:39 h.

Reinhard Brandhorst, 11 December 2019, conduct: Karl-Heinz Steinle, Andreas Pretzel and Benjamin Bayer, 03:38:44 h.

Mahide Lein, 11 October 2019, conduct: Andreas Pretzel, Katrin Ebell, Katharina Rivilis and Liam Bley, 04:16:51 h.

Birgitta Altermann, 11 August 2019, conduct: Karl-Heinz-Steinle, Kristina Hens and Katharina Rivilis, 02:53:26 h.

Christiane von Lengerke, 28 July 2019, Conduct: Janina Rieck, Claudia Schoppmann and Katharina Rivilis, 02:26:13 h.

Dr. Astrid Osterland, 4 May 2019, Conduct: Janina Rieck, Andreas Pretzel, Katharina Rivilis and Kristina Hens, 03:58:12 h.

Ahima Beerlage, 27 April 2019, conduct: Janina Rieck, Andreas Pretzel, Katharina Rivilis and Katrin Ebell, 03:23:31 h.

Justine W., 15 December 2018, conduct: Karl-Heinz Steinle, Andreas Pretzel and Benjamin Bayer, 04:53:12 h.

Olaf Plotzky/Renata Ravell, 17 November 2018, conduct: Karl-Heinz Steinle, Andreas Pretzel and Benjamin Bayer, 04:26:40 h.

Georg Härpfer, 20 October 2018, conduct: Karl-Heinz Steinle, Andreas Pretzel and Benjamin Bayer, 03:18:53 h.

Bernd Gaiser, 29 September 2018, conduct: Karl-Heinz Steinle, Andreas Pretzel and Benjamin Bayer, 02:56:55 h.

Gitty Henschke, 18 December 2017, conduct: Janina Rieck, Stephanie Kuhnen and Katharina Rivilis, 02:13:26 h.

Helge, 22 October 2017. Conduct: Karl-Heinz Steinle, Andreas Pretzel and Benjamin Bayer, 03:16:18 h.

William Frank Müller, 23 September 2017. Conduct: Andreas Pretzel, Karl-Heinz Steinle and Benjamin Bayer, 03:41:32 h.

Rosemarie Haase, 19 July 2017. Conduct: Babette Reicherdt, Janina Rieck and Katharina Rivilis, 04:24:26 h.

Christine Loewenstein, 7 July 2017. Conduct: Janina Rieck, Babette Reicherdt and Katharina Rivilis, 02:48:52 h.

Joanna Czapska, 27 May 2017. Conduct: Stephanie Kuhnen, Babette Reicherdt and Katharina Rivilis, 03:02:48 h.

Prof. Dr. Monika Barz, 19 May 2017. Conduct: Stephanie Kuhnen, Babette Reicherdt and Katharina Rivilis, 03:32:07 h.

Klaus Schirdewahn, 21 April 2017. Conduct: Andreas Pretzel, Karl-Heinz Steinle and Benjamin Bayer, 02:45:10 h.

Waltraud Schade, 18 December 2016. Conduct: Stephanie Kuhnen, Katrin Wolf and Katharina Rivilis, 03:20:23 h.

H. S., 10 December 2016. Conduct: Janina Rieck, Katrin Wolf and Katharina Rivilis, 02:03:21 h.

Rita „Tommy“ Thomas, 19 November 2016. Conduct: Babette Reicherdt, Karl-Heinz Steinle and Katharina Rivilis, 03:00:45 h.

Helmut Kress, 22 October 2016. Conduct: Karl-Heinz Steinle and Benjamin Bayer, 03:43:55 h.

Dr. Herta Leistner, 27 September 2016. Conduct: Babette Reicherdt, Karl-Heinz Steinle and Benjamin Bayer, 02:26:14 h.

Richard Moosdorf, 19 September 2016. Conduct: Andreas Pretzel, Karl-Heinz Steinle and Benjamin Bayer, 04:00:02 h.

Monika Mayerhofer-Kammann, 16 April 2016. Conduct: Maria Borowski, Katrin Wolf and Katharina Rivilis, 03:29:50 h.

H. H., 13 April 2016. Conduct: Andreas Pretzel, Karl-Heinz Steinle and Benjamin Bayer, 02:37:08 h.

Heinz Schmitz, 17 February 2016. Conduct: Andreas Pretzel, Karl-Heinz Steinle and Benjamin Bayer, 02:27:08 h.

Juliane Ernst, 16 February 2016. Conduct: Andreas Pretzel, Niki Trauthwein and Benjamin Bayer, 02:19:16 h.

Linett Holzkämper/Wienke Zitzlaff, 30 January 2016. Conduct: Stephanie Kuhnen, Babette Reicherdt and Katharina Rivilis, 02:05:21 h.

E. S., 21 November 2015. Conduct: Maria Borowski, Katrin Wolf and Katharina Rivilis, 02:11:38 h.

Ursula Häusler, 7 November 2015. Conduct: Maria Borowski, Janina Rieck and Katharina Rivilis, 02:31:27 h.

Manfred Bruns, 5 November 2015. Conduct: Andreas Pretzel, Karl-Heinz Steinle and Benjamin Bayer, 02:41:26 h.

Heiner Gerstner, 4 November 2015. Conduct: Andreas Pretzel, Karl-Heinz Steinle and Benjamin Bayer, 02:54:46 h.

Renate von Gebhardt, 30 October 2015. Conduct: Babette Reicherdt, Stephanie Kuhnen and Katharina Rivilis, 01:39:49 h.

M. G., 24 October 2015. Conduct: Babette Reicherdt, Janina Rieck and Benjamin Bayer, 03:02:36 h.

Gert Eid, 19 September 2015. Conduct: Günter Grau, Karl-Heinz Steinle and Benjamin Bayer, 03:01:34 h.

Erich Haas, 6 September 2015. Conduct: Albert Knoll, Andreas Pretzel and Benjamin Bayer, 03:52:15 h.

Hans Stempel, 5 September 2015. Conduct: Albert Knoll, Andreas Pretzel and Benjamin Bayer, 02:23:45 h.

T. B., 1 August 2015. Conduct: Stephanie Kuhnen, Janina Rieck and Kirsten Bilz, 03:15:04.

Elmar Rademacher, 6 June 2015. Conduct: Michael Jähme, Karl-Heinz Steinle and Daniel Hübner.

Wolfgang Lauinger, 18 April 2015. Conduct: Michael Bochow, Karl-Heinz Steinle and Daniel Hübner. 03:44:54 h.

Anna L. Thomann, 18 March 2015. Conduct: Janina Rieck, Kirsten Plötz and Kirsten Bilz, 02:35:10 h.

Helmut Koch, 21 February 2015. Conduct: Michael Bochow, Karl-Heinz Steinle and Daniel Hübner, 02:50:08 h.

Friedrich Schmehling, 22 January 2015. Conduct: Michael Bochow, Karl-Heinz Steinle and Daniel Hübner, 02:25:49 h.

Dr. Harm-Peter D., 18 January 2015. Conduct: Benno Gammerl, Karl-Heinz Steinle and Daniel Hübner, 04:28:56 h.

Karin Buckley, 30 December 2014. Conduct: Janina Rieck, Ilona Scheidle and Kirsten Bilz, 03:42:22 h.

G. B., 4 December 2014. Conduct: Janina Rieck, Ilona Scheidle and Kirsten Bilz, 02:46:47 h.

Günter Müllenberg, 27 October 2014. Conduct: Michael Bochow, Michael Jähme and Daniel Hübner, 02:15:45 h.

Orest H. Kapp, 15 October 2014. Conduct: Janina Rieck, Andreas Pretzel and Daniel Hübner, 02:33:39 h.

Maria Sabine Augstein, 22 January 2014. Conduct: Ulrike Klöppel, Konstanze Plett and Daniel Hübner, 01:55:33 h.

C. R., 11./12 January 2014. Conduct: Kirsten Plötz, Ilona Scheidle and Kirsten Bilz, 06:06:28 h.

Klaus Born, 5 December 2013. Conduct: Michael Bochow, Michael Jähme and Daniel Hübner, 04:26:02 h.

Note: please take note that the film excerpts accessible here may not be further distributed, copied or saved either.

In various (cooperative-) projects, BMH has produced short versions out of the biographical video interviews lasting several hours. These highlight the main features of individual life stories.

Short film on queer diversity in football
The BMH had a short film made out of the two biographical interviews with Tatjana Eggeling and Burkard Bock for the specialist conference “Queer diversity in football” on 11 October 2023 in the German Football Museum in Dortmund.

Short films for educational modules on queerhistory.de
Compressed versions of the interviews with Maria Sabine Augstein, Harm-Peter D, Anna Thomann and Wolfgang Lauinger were produced in 2015 for an educational project. This involved cooperation with the Chair for the Didactics of History at the Friedrich Meinecke Institute of the FU Berlin, the Max Planck Institute for Educational Research, the Spinnboden Lesbenarchiv und Bibliothek e.V. and the Centre for Digital Systems at the FU Berlin. Pedagogical multipliers and all interested parties can find comprehensive educational modules for using the films in teaching at queerhistory.de. Please contact Prof Dr Martin Lucke (lueckeagentur-bildung.de) if you have any questions about using these life stories. Sponsorship by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth made this project possible. Three of the four edited interviews are freely accessible to the public.

Maria Sabine Augstein (*1949)

Wolfgang Lauinger (1918–2017)

Anna L. Thomann (*1950)

Five short films for the communication project with www.lsbttiqu-bw.de
The BMH has been involved in the joint research project “Life worlds, repression and persecution of LSBTTIQ in Baden and Württemberg under National Socialism and in the Federal Republic of Germany” since 2016, together with the Historical Institute of the University of Stuttgart and the Institute for Contemporary History Munich-Berlin. The complexity of the subject and initial research results have been presented to a wider public via www.lsbttiq-bw.de in a communication project running parallel to the research. Thanks once again to cooperation with the Centre for Digital Systems at the FU Berlin, five more short versions of biographical interviews from the “Archive of Other Memories” were produced in this connection. You can view these, endowed with additional information about the life stories, at www.lsbttiq-bw.de/zeitzeuginnen-interviews/ and on this page.

Heinz Schmitz (*1943)

Juliane Ernst (*1941)

Richard Moosdorf (*1924)

Herta Leistner (*1942)

Helmut Kress (*1946) (externe Seite, FU Berlin)

Numerous institutions, organisations and people contributed to the development of the project and supported the work of the “Archive of Other Memories”. We are grateful to:

Aids Oral History Archiv (AOHA), Berlin

ARCUS-Stiftung, Köln

Bundesministerium der Justiz und für Verbraucherschutz (BMJV)

Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)

Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend (BMFSFJ)

Bundesverband Trans*

Center für Digitale Systeme an der Freien Universität (FU) Berlin (CeDiS)

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Transidentität und Intersexualität (dgti) e. V.

Fachverband Homosexualität und Geschichte e. V. (FHG), Köln

Förderkreis der Bundesstiftung Magnus Hirschfeld (FBMH), Berlin

Forschungsstelle „Kulturgeschichte der Sexualität“ der Humboldt-Universität (HU) Berlin

Forum Homosexualität München e. V.

Friedrich-Meinecke-Institut der Freien Universität (FU) Berlin (FMI)

Historisches Institut der Universität Stuttgart

Institut für Interkulturelle Pädagogik der Technischen Universität Chemnitz

Landesstelle für Gleichbehandlung – gegen Diskriminierung (Fachbereich LSBTI) bei der Senatsverwaltung für Arbeit, Soziales, Gleichstellung, Integration, Vielfalt und Antidiskriminierung (LADS)

Lili-Elbe-Archiv, Berlin

Max-Planck-Institut für Bildungsforschung (MPI), Berlin

Netzwerk LSBTTIQ Baden-Württemberg, Freiburg im Breisgau

Queeres Netzwerk Niedersachsen e. V. (QNN), Hannover

QueerNet Rheinland-Pfalz e. V., Mainz

Rad und Tat – Offene Initiative lesbischer Frauen (RuT), Berlin

Spinnboden Lesbenarchiv und Bibliothek e. V., Berlin

Stiftung Akademie Waldschlösschen, Göttingen

Stiftung Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas, Berlin