More than one third of Bielefeld’s population has a migration background – these are people who themselves or their parents did not have German citizenship at birth. Many new citizens came to Bielefeld in the 1950s and 1960s, when the economy was booming and there was a shortage of labour everywhere. Between 1955 and 1971, the federal government therefore concluded a series of recruitment agreements with countries from Southern Europe, North Africa and South Korea. They were looking for men and women who could be deployed flexibly as needed, would only stay for a short time and often had to perform physically difficult tasks. They encountered a culture that was foreign to them and often also reservations among the population. Despite these difficulties, many „guest workers“ stayed – families moved in and a second home was created. The exhibition highlights aspects of this immigration to Bielefeld and shows the life stories of people who have made their home in our city. The History Museum is dedicating itself to this topic in cooperation with the Integration Council of the City of Bielefeld. The experiences of people with a migration history form an important part of the exhibition in the form of interviews.
Eine Veranstaltung im Rahmen der Aktionswochen gegen Rassismus: