Just a Handkerchief to Cry Into

“Just a handkerchief to cry into” a phrase coined by Dr. Ortfried Kotzian himself, capturing the essence of his moving lecture at Heiligenhof. He spoke of expulsion, the wounds of 1945, and called with quiet dignity for humanity and reconciliation.

On July 5, 2025, Dr. Ortfried Kotzian spoke at the Heiligenhof educational center about the fateful year 1945. His lecture was both a personal and collective remembrance, delivered with clarity, dignity, and a gentle touch of melancholy. I was there and would like to share this moving moment with you.

A Life Dedicated to Education, Remembrance, and Humanity

Born in 1948, Dr. Kotzian is one of the most influential voices in the field of German eastern history. As a student, teacher, researcher, director of the House of the German East, and co-founder of the Bukovina Institute, he has spent decades exploring and explaining the fate of Germans in Eastern Europe. His lectures are not dry history lessons, but encounters with people, with the past, with truth.

At Heiligenhof, he is a regular guest. No one has spoken there more often. The fact that he gave his talk on Saturday morning rather than the originally planned Friday evening turned out to be a stroke of luck. The hall was packed, and the attentiveness was palpable.