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History is the development of people and space. Studying the changes in the past helps to better understand and help shape the changes of the present.
For example: people have always left their homes for various reasons and sought new places to live. At the end of the 1930s, many Jews fled from the Nazi terror in Germany and moved through East Belgium. Thousands of East Belgians fled inland from the Nazis in 1940. In 1944, thousands of people from the Eifel fled the Ardennes offensive. In the 19th century, many Eifel people emigrated to the USA as economic refugees. What are the motives of migrants today?
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Space is constantly changing. People change space and space influences people’s lives.
This is true for every region, every city and every village. Looking at space in the past helps us to better understand and help shape the development of space in our time.
For example: the state has a construction company build a motorway. Not only the landscape changes, but so does the traffic flow. Industrial estates are built and companies settle there. The people living near the motorway must now learn to live with the advantages and disadvantages of this construction.
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History determines everyone’s present. Dealing with history therefore helps us to better orient ourselves in the here and now. That is why it needs an open space for exchanging ideas. Just like our present, history is only productive if it is alive and everyone can participate.
For example: the mobile phone was a revolution when it was introduced in the early 1990s, as it profoundly changed everyday life. However, everyone experienced this introduction differently, integrated the mobile phone and the later applications differently in their lives. So there is not just one story about the introduction of the mobile phone, but many. Recording as many of them as possible is a form of writing history in dialogue.
Experience a piece
of history
History is the development of people and space. Studying the changes in the past helps to better understand the changes in the present and to help shape the future.
