Migration museum: long-term cooperation between DOMiD and Evonik

11 May 2022

Cologne/Essen, 11.05.2022 – Preparations for Europe's largest migration museum are moving forward. For the construction of the migration museum "House of Immigration Society" in Cologne, the operator DOMiD has found a strong partner from the private sector. The Essen-based specialty chemicals company Evonik has signed a long-term cooperation agreement with the Documentation Centre and Museum on Migration in Germany (DOMiD). The aim of the partnership is to document and communicate the topic of migration in a visible and audible way for future generations. By supporting the nationwide migration museum, Evonik wants to send a signal of the company's social responsibility. The digitisation of the DOMiD archive also creates a forward-looking basis for the "House of Immigration Society".

Dr. Robert Fuchs, Executive Director of DOMiD, explains: "We are very pleased to have found Evonik as a partner from the business sector in NRW. This partner is already standing by us in the start-up phase of our migration museum. This will enable us to create the capacities for the sustainable digitisation of our collection in the coming years. Both sides benefit from this cooperation: we support the path Evonik took some time ago to actively promote diversity and civic participation through our expertise in education and outreach in the migration society." Over the next four years, the sponsorship money will be used for the digital area of the archive. This will give DOMiD the opportunity to expand its own existing digitisation expertise. The DOMiD archive maintains the largest collection of cultural-historical testimonies on the history of migration in Germany since 1945.

Making civic achievments of migrants visible

Markus Langer, Head of Corporate Identity & Brand Experience at Evonik, explains the motivation behind the sponsorship: "Evonik has been actively combating anti-Semitism and racism for years and maintains numerous partnerships with institutions such as the Jewish Museums in Berlin and Frankfurt, which are committed to diversity and against social exclusion. DOMiD's House of Immigration Society is the first comprehensive tribute to the millions of life achievements of migrants in Germany. They have had and also continue to have a major share in the value creation of German industry - a contribution to society that deserves to be historically reappraised and brought to life." Evonik is a global leader in specialty chemicals. The group has over 33,000 employees and is active in over 100 countries.

Active together in teaching democracy

Already in May, DOMiD offers workshops for all Evonik trainees who are in their first year of training: The seminars in a digital event are called "Learning with objects - understanding racism". Another internal company event called "MUTAusbruch" has already been in place since 2017 and has now reached several hundred trainees: the aim in each case is to raise young people's awareness of social issues and encourage them to express their opinions and take a stand.

Nationwide migration museum is being built

Funded by the federal government, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the city of Cologne, the migration museum "House of Immigration Society" (working title) will be created in the coming years on behalf of DOMiD. In addition to public subsidies and the museum's own funds, the museum will also be financed by partners from the private sector. In the future, the museum will show how migration has inscribed itself in German history and shaped today's society. The opening in Cologne is planned for 2027.