Memorial plaque in Zdroje (Finkenwalde) Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born on 4 February 1906 in Wroclaw (formerly Breslau) and grew up in Berlin. He studied theology, took his doctors degree in 1927 and qualied as a university lecturer in 1930 with his thesis "Act and Being". He gave up lecturing in the summer of 1933 to devote himself entirely to his work as a pastor. In 1934 he became an advisory member of the Ecumenical Council and the following year he established the (illegal) Theological Seminary of the Confessing Church in Zdroje (formerly Finkenwalde). It was founded in opposition to the Nazi-controlled "National Church" of the "German Christians" and from its midst there later developed an active resistance movement. The Gestapo closed the Seminary in Finkenwalde in 1939. Today the spot is marked by a memorial which was erected in September 2002 by an international youth project involving two horticultural schools from Hamburg and Stettin. In 1941 the Nazis tried to call a halt to Bonhoeffers involvement with the Confessing Church and his opposition to the "National Church" by prohibiting him to preach or publish. Although he was initially against active political resistance, Bonhoeffer now changed his point of view and joined, from conviction, the resistance movement of Admiral Canaris. "One must grab the wheel by the spokes and not wait for the imminent accident to happen" was his credo. Bonhoeffer was arrested on 5 March 1943. His bestknown book, "Letters and Papers from Prison" was written during the following months, a witness to his faith and indomitability. After the failed attempt on Hitlers life on 20 July 1944, his hopes for change dwindled. On 9 April 1945 Bonhoeffer was hanged on Hitlers command in the Flossenbuerg concentration camp. Through Bonhoeffers work, Szczecin has become a place suited as few others to international ecumenical meetings. He himself described his years in Finkenwalde as the most fullling, both professionally and from a personal point of view. It was here that he wrote his books "Life Together" and "The Cost of Discipleship" which contributed greatly to his outstanding reputation as a theologian. The publication of the book "Chrzeseijanin w Trzecicj Rzeszy" ("A Christian in the Third Reich") by Anna Morawska in 1970 led to an intensive discussion in Poland of the life and work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Nowadays there are monuments and plaques to his memory in many parts of the country. He is respected and honoured by Poles and Germans alike for standing up courageously for his faith, for freedom and the dignity of mankind. This fascination also extends to many people from other countries. Since the opening of the Community and Parish Centre of the protestant congregation in Stettin in 1995, people have begun tracing his footsteps.
		Home of the international Dietrich Bonhoeffer Study and Meeting Centre in Szczecin (formerly Stettin). Germans and Poles are connected by a long and often tragic history, culminating in the invasion and occupation of Poland in the Second World War and the subsequent expulsion of the German population resulting from a decision taken at the Jalta Conference. Today the events of the past still often stand between Germans and Poles. We, a circle of committed Christians from Hamburg and Stralsund as well as Stettin Christians from the Lutheran Parish of the Trinity Sunday Church, have joined forces to provide an example of friendship between Germans and Poles. We would like to help towards a better understanding of our dif.cult, common history, to help eliminate alienation and look for practical ways of shaping the future. Our leading .gure is Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The protestant pastor was a mastermind of the ecumenical idea and an advocate of the values of democracy and humanity. His life and work are, for Germans, Poles and Christians of all denominations the common basis of dialogue and understanding. One of the central places of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's work was Finkenwalde, now Zdroje, near Stettin. In Stettin we have created a place where people can congregate to remember him, his ideas and convictions.
		It is housed in a villa in the town centre, owned by the Parifia Ewangelicko Augsburska (protestant Church). After its renovation and restoration the home has been used as a study and meeting centre since autumn 2003. The Dietrich Bonhoeffer House and the community centre already in existence can provide accommodation for 25 – 35 guests. The basement rooms of the new house will be used for exhibitions and as assembly and meeting places for people from Stettin and the congregation. It will also be a location for secular projects, especially for children and young people. The community and guests have been able to make full use of the house since spring 2004. Ausstellungseröffnung 2004 The International Dietrich Bonhoeffer Study and Meeting Centre offers a unique opportunity to take a close look at Bonhoeffer's thoughts, ideas and statements. The confrontation with one's own religious and cultural identity, the understanding of Christian life in today's world and experimentation with new ways can all take place here in a protected and hospitable environment.
		to study Dietrich Bonhoeffer as a person as well as his theological biblical intentions the search for spirituality and responsibility the question of ones own identity of faith ecumenical meetings the communal and individual experience of faith understanding between Germans and Poles language workshops.
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