Exhibition Opening on the 80th Anniversary of Julius Leber’s Death
On 5 January 2025, the exhibition “Julius Leber: From Alsace to the German Resistance” was inaugurated before a large audience at the German-French cultural forum Art’Rhena. This exhibition is part of the efforts of the German-French working group “Commemorative Events: 80 Years of War’s End and Peace”, initiated by the Communauté de Communes Alsace Rhin Breisach, alongside the towns of Breisach am Rhein and Biesheim. It was curated by Dr Marvin Gamisch, a political scientist.
Julius Leber was a steadfast opponent of National Socialism who gave his life for the values of freedom and democracy. After a show trial before the Volksgerichtshof, he was executed on 5 January 1945 for his involvement in the attempt to assassinate Hitler. Born in 1891 in Biesheim, then part of German-occupied Alsace, Leber attended school in Breisach and later in Freiburg. His upbringing in the border region of Alsace and Baden was formative for his identity as a journalist and SPD Reichstag member. Leber rejected both German and French nationalism, viewing Franco-German reconciliation as essential.
The exhibition will remain on display at Art’Rhena until 23 February and will later travel to various institutions across the border region.
The exhibition catalogue can be accessed online: https://cc-alsacerhinbrisach.fr/exposition-julius-leber/?fbclid=IwY2xjawHrWyhleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHSRKsblb-zclf_mTx_2F2WM_5xLhMSM1RPIMYlyfspPGtEsNyEJS75GZ2A_aem_Xt7cDlPwWwy_yFsSmfQtrA
We are especially pleased to announce that the Breisach Rhine Bridge will be renamed the Julius-Leber-Brücke. This renaming draws attention to this historic site, further underscoring its significance. As part of our project “Bridge for the Future / Pont pour l’avenir”, ideas will be developed for a memorial to commemorate the deportation of Baden’s Jewish population and to reflect the shared history of the Alsace-Baden border region.