Mapping Modernity

15. Heimatvertriebenen

25 October 2023

Mass expulsion of German losers

This wall map of Germany provides a visual representation of the country’s 1937 borders, with the Federal Republic in green. The school map depicts the largest European migration of people in the 20th century. The term ‘Heimatvertriebenen’ refers to the German-speaking ethnic minorities ‘cleansed’ from Central and Eastern Europe, as well as the German nationals expelled from the eastern provinces annexed by Poland and the Soviet Union between 1945 and 1955.

Schropp'sche Landkarten und Lehrmittel-Anstalt (ed.), Heimatvertriebenen (Mensch und Weltbild, Tafel 10), (Hamburg 1955). Coll. S/T W.1c.932, 85.5 x 133.5 cm.