WILLY-BRANDT-FORUM UNKEL

As a German, European and cosmopolitan, Willy Brandt is one of the most important politicians of the 20th century. He was recognised worldwide for his lifelong commitment to peace, freedom, democracy and human rights. He was the only German politician of the post-war period to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1971. In 1979, Willy Brandt moved to Unkel and lived in the small town on the Rhine as a ‘citizen among citizens’. It was here that he wrote his ‘Memoirs’ and looked back on an eventful life. From here, as an ‘elder statesman’, he continued to campaign worldwide for the realisation of his political ideals. It was also from here that he witnessed the opening of the Berlin Wall and the completion of German unity - the realisation of a vision and the goal of a constant political struggle since his return from exile.
Willy Brandt died in Unkel on 8 October 1992.

The ‘Unkel Community Foundation - Willy Brandt Forum’, founded in 2007, has set itself the task of preserving the memory of the town's famous fellow citizen. On 20 March 2011, a museum of contemporary history was opened in the former savings bank building on Willy-Brandt-Platz to commemorate the politician and former chancellor.

The centrepiece of the exhibition is Willy Brandt's study from his home in Unkel. It has been lovingly reconstructed, with the books lined up as they were when he died.

A portrait gallery in the basement of the foundation building contains paintings and photos by high-calibre artists. The famous painting by Georg Meistermann, once intended for the Chancellor's Gallery, as well as paintings by Johannes Heisig and Wolfgang Tiemann show different artistic perspectives on the famous politician.
The vault of the former savings bank is dedicated to the citizens of Unkel in a kind of ‘musée sentimental’. Here they talk about how they experienced ‘their Willy Brandt’ in his home town.

Visitors can use a webcam to take a photo of themselves, choose a background from Unkel, a Willy Brandt motif and a font for their greeting line. The digital postcard created in this way can then be sent free of charge via the Internet.

A modern museum with numerous audiovisual media and interactive elements invites visitors to engage with Willy Brandt and his time. History couldn't be more exciting!

In addition to the permanent exhibition, several temporary exhibitions have been shown at the Willy Brandt Forum to date. The highly acclaimed exhibition ‘The Euro harms the crisis’ with works by the well-known caricaturist Burkhard Mohr and an exhibition of works by HAP Grieshaber deserve special mention.
Current exhibitions are announced here and on our homepage.

The Willy Brandt Forum is a voluntary project of the ‘Bürgerstiftung Unkel Willy Brandt Forum’.