Junge Gemeinde Stadtmitte

Johannisstraße 14 has housed the Junge Gemeinde Stadtmitte since 1976. Under city youth pastor Lothar König, the JG’s Offene Arbeit (open youth work) gained increasing significance in confronting the far-right scene. From the outset, the institution was exposed to attacks by neo-Nazis, targeting both the building itself and members of the Offene Arbeit, including punks and migrants. On 8 July 1997, Pastor König was seriously injured in an assault. The JG repeatedly served as the starting point for demonstrations by the “Aktions-Bündnis gegen Rechts” against neo-Nazi marches, before a broad civil-society consensus took hold. At the municipal level as well as with the police, the JG’s anti-fascist engagement was controversial, extending even to attempts by the regional church to exert influence. For its consistent action against the far right, the JG received several renowned awards.

(Text and image: Frank Döbert)

External sources

Wikipedia: Lothar König (Pfarrer)