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Communities Publish Final Plans for Volkstrauertag, From Local Vigils to Bundestag Tribute

Municipal programs confirm services, wreath‑layings, processions, speeches to honor victims of war and tyranny.

Overview

  • Volkstrauertag falls on Sunday, 16 November, with most ceremonies scheduled for that day and a number of towns holding observances on Saturday, 15 November.
  • The Volksbund’s central commemoration in the Bundestag begins Sunday at 13:30, with Italian President Sergio Mattarella as keynote speaker, President Frank‑Walter Steinmeier delivering the Totengedenken, music by the Bremen Girls’ Choir and a Bundeswehr ensemble, and a wreath‑laying at the Neue Wache.
  • Sonthofen’s program features 10:00 church services, a police‑escorted march from St. Michael around 10:50, and an 11:15 ceremony at the Ehrenfriedhof with remarks and a wreath by Second Mayor Ingrid Fischer, accompanied by the Stadtkapelle.
  • Hann. Münden hosts an ecumenical service at 10:00 in St. Blasius, followed by an 11:15 remembrance at the Rotunde with an address by Mayor Tobias Dannenberg; surrounding communities list timed gatherings, musical support by local brass groups, and on‑site donation appeals for the Volksbund.
  • In the Frankenthal area, Bobenheim‑Roxheim begins at 14:00 with honors by deputy mayor Georg Zwilling and a 14:30 museum lecture by historian Klaus Graber, as neighboring municipalities emphasize remembrance that includes concentration‑camp victims and those killed while fleeing.