27 March – 6 September 2026

An exhibition organised by the Amy Johnson Gymnasium in Schönefeld in collaboration with the Nazi Forced Labour Documentation Centre.

The exhibition focuses on the life of Hélène Fauriat (1918–1999), a member of the French Resistance. In June 1944, she was arrested by the Gestapo for her resistance against the German occupation and deported to Ravensbrück concentration camp. After two weeks, she was transferred to the Henschel-Werke satellite camp in Schönefeld and forced to work in the fighter aircraft factory.

The exhibition is largely based on her memoir ‘Noël à Schönefeld’ (Christmas in Schönefeld). In it, Hélène Fauriat provides an insight into her personal experiences of persecution, imprisonment and forced labour during the Nazi era.

The exhibition was developed as part of a basic French course. The students researched the history of the French resistance fighter Hélène Fauriat. The project was prompted by the construction of the new school on the site of a former forced labour camp belonging to Henschel Flugzeug-Werke AG in Schönefeld near Berlin. Archaeological excavations took place on the site in 2023/24.

Free guided tours for groups can be booked: bildung_ns-zwangsarbeit(at)topographie.de or +49 30 6390 288 27