Great Support - NSU Documentation Center Takes Stock - Germany's New NSU Documentation Centre Honours Victims of Far-Right Terror
Germany's first documentation centre on the far-right National Socialist Underground (NSU) terror network opened in Chemnitz in May 2025. The facility focuses on the group's decade-long campaign of violence, which included at least ten murders, bombings and armed robberies across southwestern Saxony. In its first year alone, the centre attracted nearly 15,000 visitors, with every programme fully booked.
The permanent exhibition centres on the ten victims killed by the NSU between 2000 and 2007. Nine had Turkish roots—Enver Şimşek, Abdurrahim Özüdoğru, Süleyman Alcik, Mehmet Turgut, İsmail Yaşar, Mehmet Kubaşık, Serkan Başkaynak, Havva Dağdelen—and one, Theodoros Boulgarides, was of Greek heritage. Michèle Kiesewetter, a German police officer of mixed Turkish-German background, was the only victim without a direct migrant history. Personal belongings, such as family photographs and a prayer bead necklace, are displayed alongside case files and investigative records.
The exhibition, titled Open Case, also examines broader issues: the failures of German authorities, the country's migration history, and the ongoing threat of far-right extremism. Chemnitz and nearby Zwickau were key locations for the NSU, where the core trio—Uwe Mundlos, Uwe Böhnhardt and Beate Zschäpe—lived undetected for years.
A nonprofit GmbH has since been set up to run the centre beyond 2026, ensuring its work continues after Chemnitz's year as European Capital of Culture. Next year's programme includes a film series, workshops, a theatre production and a concert, expanding the centre's public engagement.
The documentation centre now serves as a permanent record of the NSU's crimes and their lasting impact. With its growing visitor numbers and planned events, the facility aims to keep the victims' stories in public memory. The establishment of a dedicated nonprofit operator guarantees its operations will extend well beyond the initial cultural programme.
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