German War Graves Commission Expands Marigny War Cemetery into Memorial and Learning Center
Kassel, Marigny – On Thursday, June 5, 2025, the German War Graves Commission will expand the Marigny war cemetery into a memorial and learning center. This comes one day before the 81st anniversary of D-Day, which marks the beginning of the liberation of Europe by the Western Allies.
The new memorial will feature a permanent multimedia exhibition that provides information about the soldiers buried at the cemetery and the history of the Western Allies’ landing, also known as “Operation Overlord”. This exhibition combines modern media stations with historical architecture, creating an engaging and informative experience for visitors.
The project was made possible with the support of the non-profit Würth Foundation. The foundation, founded in 1987 by Carmen Würth and her husband Prof. Dr. h. c. mult. Reinhold Würth, designed and constructed a memorial approximately 3.5 meters tall, which will be inaugurated today. The memorial honors the US soldiers who fought alongside their allies for the liberation of Europe. A compass rose points to the four cardinal directions from which the Allied forces pushed back the Nazi dictatorship. For Carmen Würth, the memorial serves as a tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of Europe, and also as a reminder to preserve humanity and peace.
In front of the memorial, a trilingual plaque will be unveiled to commemorate First Lieutenant Nathan B. Baskind and all other US soldiers. Baskind, who was Jewish, was buried in a German comrades’ grave in Marigny in 1944. In 2023, his remains were exhumed, identified, and solemnly reburied the following year at the American military cemetery in Colleville under a Jewish gravestone. This was made possible by the Volksbund in cooperation with “Operation Benjamin” from New York.
The Volksbund, founded in 1919, is dedicated to searching for the dead of World War I and informing their relatives. With over 2.8 million war graves worldwide, the humanitarian organization continues to clarify the fates of war dead. For more than 70 years, the Volksbund has been committed to promoting a more peaceful future through international youth work and educational projects. The private association is primarily funded by donations.
For more information, please visit www.volksbund.de or contact Harald John at +491735784718 or presse@volksbund.de.
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