Journey to Friedrichshafen
In the picturesque town of Friedrichshafen, Baden-Württemberg, a significant project is underway to preserve a piece of German aviation history. The learning site, tentatively named 'Landshut', is dedicated to the 1977 Lufthansa plane hijacking, and its realization relies heavily on networking with local and regional societal and political actors.
Recently, Juliane Seifert, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of the Interior, visited the project team behind 'Landshut'. Seifert, who is responsible for the website within the Ministry's Department H "Homeland, Cohesion, and Democracy", expressed her support for the project and emphasized its potential to educate the public about the event history surrounding the hijacking and rescue, as well as 'Landshut' as a symbol of a "defensive and learning democracy".
During her visit, Seifert and Thomas Krüger, President of the website, inspected the plane wreck housed at the airport's shipyard, where 'Landshut' is currently stored. The team presented plans, ideas, and concepts for the learning site, which will focus on the themes of the event with a focus on the present.
Visits to 'Landshut' have been possible in recent months, including a workshop in October 2022 that brought together students from Friedrichshafen with former hostages on 'Landshut' and a former GSG 9 member. A workshop for teachers is scheduled for November, which is part of the program of the Center for School Quality and Teacher Training (ZSL).
The success of the project depends on finding a suitable location for the learning site, a pursuit that has been intensively pursued since 2020. The signing of a lease agreement for the location of the learning site is imminent. However, there is no publicly available information regarding the current status of rental negotiations for the future learning center 'Landshut' at Friedrichshafen Airport.
Support for the project was signaled by the First Mayor of the city of Friedrichshafen, Fabian Müller, as well as Lothar Wölfle (former Landrat, CDU) and Norbert Zeller (Chairman of the SPD Kreistag fraction). Positive signals from those affected by the 'Landshut' hijacking will continue to be involved in the conception of the learning site.
After the visit, Krüger and Seifert announced that the plane will remain at Friedrichshafen Airport in the future. The design of visit options for 2024 depends on the progress of renovation measures at the future location and the preservation of the plane, with visitor safety as a top priority.
The project's progress has been praised by Martin Gerster, a Member of Parliament who, in 2017, advocated for the return of the plane to Germany alongside then Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel. Gerster's involvement and support for the project underscore its significance in preserving a crucial part of German history.
