Note:
Each panel is accompanied by didactic material: tasks, reflection questions, and translations.
These materials are freely available for classroom use and may be applied directly or adapted to specific needs.
PAUL LEFMANN (1893–1929): FIELD LETTERS FROM A BREMEN SOLDIER IN WORLD WAR I
Materials accompanying the exhibition
This exhibition is based on the field letters (Feldpost) of the Bremen soldier Paul Lefmann, which speak of fear, hope, alienation, and a deep
longing for peace.
His personal view of the war opens up a space of encounter –
between past and present, between Germany and France,
and between the voices of the past and our responsibility today.
The content of this website is intended to support in-depth engagement with the panels presented in the exhibition.
It provides additional information, translations, source material, and digital enhancements.
The field letters of the Lefmann family, along with Paul Lefmann’s compositions, form part of the collection of the Archive for North-West German Music History (Archiv für bremische und nordwestdeutsche Musikgeschichte) at the Institute for Musicology and Music Education at the University of Bremen.
Originally, these materials were entrusted to the archive’s predecessor, the association “Deutsche Musikpflege” Bremen e. V., and have been housed
at the Institute since 2009.
We extend our sincere thanks to Professor Dr. Ulrich Tadday, Director of the Archive, for the opportunity to work with these significant historical sources.