Eintracht Frankfurt visits Buchenwald Memorial | OneFootball

The Eagles’ first team visited the memorial – which serves as a reminder not to forget the victims of National Socialism – ahead of their friendly in Weimar.

Eintracht Frankfurt’s first team visited the Buchenwald concentration camp memorial near Weimar on Wednesday, thereby sending out a clear statement against antisemitism and racism and a reminder of the importance of historical awareness and social responsibility. The players, coaching staff and club representatives took part in a wide-ranging tour of the former concentration camp and commemorated the victims of National Socialism.

The team were accompanied by Eintracht Museum managing director Matthias Thoma as well as historians and staff from the memorial site, who provided a key insight into the system of terror, persecution and extermination that claimed the lives of more than 56,000 people in Buchenwald between 1937 and 1945.

“This place speaks a language that moves us all deeply,” said Eintracht captain Kevin Trapp at a symbolic wreath-laying ceremony following the tour. “It’s our duty as human beings – especially as public figures – not to forget what happened here. We’re grateful for this encounter with history. It changes the way we view our responsibility in this day and age.”

Eintracht board member for sport Markus Krösche also highlighted the importance of the visit. “Eintracht Frankfurt stands for tolerance, diversity and democracy,” he said. “The visit to Buchenwald reminds us how fragile these values can be if we’re not vigilant. Jewish life has always had a firm place in Eintracht Frankfurt’s history and in our city. It’s a great obligation and objective of ours to pay due respect and commemorate the victims of these inhumane crimes. Especially at a time when antisemitism is on the rise again in Germany, we say clearly and unequivocally: ‘Never again.’ Frankfurt doesn’t forget.”

Eintracht Frankfurt regards this culture of remembrance as a living part of the club’s identity – and as a clear commitment to tackling all forms of antisemitism, racism and exclusion. For many years, the Eintracht Frankfurt Museum, in conjunction with the fan department and the Fritz Bauer Institute, has been organising projects that trace the lives of Jewish sportsmen and women. There have previously been trips to Theresienstadt, Buchenwald and Dachau with the club’s supporters. “The fact that the idea of visiting the memorial site in Buchenwald came from the first team shows that our players are also engaging with the club’s history and are aware of its responsibility,” said Thoma.