Our vision

For a just world in which civil courage and humanity can flourish.

We celebrate diversity. We fight nationalism and anti-Semitism. We strengthen human rights and democracy.

Strengthening human rights

We support projects that strengthen human rights and democratic behaviour. We focus on historical research and biographical stories that inspire and provide orientation.

The Bochum Fritz Bauer Forum, Centre for Human Rights named after the resistance fighter and Holocaust survivor Dr Fritz Bauer, is our central funding project.

Our mission is to raise awareness of history and to strengthen solidarity and action that is orientated towards human rights. In this way, we want to pave the way for a more sustainable and fairer future.

Inspired by the boxwood

The boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) is a symbol of resilience and sustainability. It grows slowly, is robust and survives even under the most adverse conditions – a symbol of the strength and cohesion that our society also needs. Just as the boxwood is dependent on care and protection, we as humans are also dependent on each other in order to grow together.

Timeline

Milestones of the BUXUS STIFTUNG

The BUXUS FOUNDATION was established in 2013 by historian Dr Irmtrud Wojak to strengthen democracy and human rights. At a time of growing threats from authoritarianism and nationalism, the foundation aims to take up the legacy of the jurist Fritz Bauer and counter right-wing tendencies.

2012

Dr Irmtrud Wojak develops the idea for an Interactive Fritz Bauer Library with stories of resistance and survival worldwide.

2013

In autumn 2013, the BUXUS FOUNDATION is established to realise the Interactive Fritz Bauer Library. Its aim is to help strengthen the voices of resistance against authoritarian developments and to network them with each other.

2014-2015

A research fellowship on the subject of denazification at Harvard University’s Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies provides new support for the project, which is being trialled with students.

2017

The Interactive Fritz Bauer Library is honoured with an international research seminar at the Radcliffe Institute. In the same year, the BUXUS FOUNDATION establishes its own publishing house, BUXUS EDITION.

2019

The Interactive Fritz Bauer Library goes online with its database in Bochum. The BUXUS STIFTUNG is looking for a place where it can realise its projects.

2020

The BUXUS STIFTUNG leases the former Havkenscheid mourning hall and an associated municipal depot in the Ruhr metropolis of Bochum. It is now planning a Fritz Bauer Forum.

2023

As the first completed construction phase, the BUXUS FOUNDATION opens the Fritz Bauer Library in the remodelled Havkenscheid mourning hall.

Heute

In 2025, the BUXUS FOUNDATION opens the Fritz Bauer Forum. It promotes and initiates a wide range of research and educational projects to strengthen democracy and human rights.

Impressions from the Fritz Bauer Forum

Discover the Fritz Bauer Forum

Understanding history, shaping the future

The Fritz Bauer Forum is the central project of the BUXUS FOUNDATION. It is dedicated to researching and communicating courage, humanity and resistance in the 20th and 21st centuries. Learn more about our work and support us in keeping history alive and preserving it for future generations.

Questions about the Fritz Bauer Forum? We are happy to help

Would you like to know more about the Fritz Bauer Forum and our history? Give us a call or write to us.

Tobias Fetzer (M.A.)

Public relations and social media

Infos zum Thema Barrierefreiheit

www.buxus-stiftung-barrierefreiheit.de

Öffnungszeiten

Mo-Fr 9.00 Uhr 15.00 Uhr Sa 9.00 Uhr 12.00 Uhr