A Symbol of Peace

A crowd of 1,500 gathered at the Unteres Schloss to set a symbol for peace. University Rector Dr. Holger Burckhart challenged everyone in the community to work for peace every day.

Before the echo from the Glockenspiel bells of Siegen's famous Dicker Turm had even faded away, the Schlossplatz was already engulfed in a sea of lights. The City of Siegen—with support from the University of Siegen and Protestant and Catholic church organizations—invited citizens to gather for a peace demonstration, and many people heeded the call. Roughly 1,500 citizens set a symbol of solidarity with the people of Ukraine, arranging their lit candles to turn the Unteres Schloss campus into a giant peace symbol. All proceeds from the sale of the candles went directly to refugees in Siegen.

Siegen's landmark Dicker Turm was lit up in Ukrainian blue-and-yellow, while the university's lecture hall cluster served as the backdrop for projections of stark images from the war zone. Given the dreadful reports emerging from Ukraine, fear was a common topic among the speakers on stage. As was a call for hope, and moments of light in dark times. “We must work towards peace every day. And I am convinced that each of us can do that," said University Rector Dr. Holger Burckhart. He added: “Together we can help those people who are faring worse than we are.”

Siegen Mayor Steffen Mues noted a special resonance to the site of the peace protest. The Dicker Turm contains a monument to the victim of the destruction of Siegen in 1944; and now, once again, the bombs are flying in Europe. “The solidarity of the citizens of Siegen is with the people of Ukraine, but also for those people who are resisting Putin in Russia.”

Alongside speeches from Superintendent Thomas and Parish Assistant Alexandra Podstawa, several assistance projects were presented, including one from the Friedensgruppe Siegen [Freedom Movement Siegen]. It is coordinated by Dr. Tetiana Havlin, a sociologist at the Seminar for Social Sciences. Her family lives in Ukraine—and she expressed her thanks to all providing help, in whatever form. “Your donations and words of support give us extra strength to survive these terrible times.”

The peace protest was accompanied by music from Jördis Tielsch, including a communal performance of peace songs by participants.

The City of Siegen is coordinating and organizing help and donations for refugees. All information is available on its homepage.