Flossenburg Memorial Honors Dietrich Bonhoeffer on his 120th Birthday

MUNICH, GERMANY – Feb. 3, 2026 – Tomorrow, Feb. 4, 2026, marks the 120th birthday of resistance fighter and Protestant theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was murdered on April 9, 1945, at the Flossenburg concentration camp. The Flossenburg Memorial commemorates Dietrich Bonhoeffer with the website “Bonhoeffer Initiative” (https://www.bonhoeffer-initiative.com/en/) and, on his birthday, with a staged reading.

The Flossenburg Memorial is one of Germany’s central places of remembrance for Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In commemoration of the pastor murdered by the Nazis, the Memorial has developed the website “Bonhoeffer Initiative” which honors Bonhoeffer's life and theological teachings. Starting at the Flossenburg Memorial, Pastor Bonhoeffer's eternal resting place, visitors can learn about Bonhoeffer's life, his teachings, and his legacy by following his spiritual journey that took him from Europe to the U.S. and back again. This initiative honors the entire life of Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer for his courage, resistance, and resolve.

Tomorrow, on Bonhoeffer's 120th birthday, the Flossenburg Memorial is hosting a staged reading of the play “Spaeter Besuch. Dietrich Bonhoeffer redivivus” (Late Visit: Dietrich Bonhoeffer Redivivus) by Bernhard Setzwein.

About Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born in Breslau on February 4, 1906. He had a twin sister, Sabine, and six other siblings. In 1927, he graduated with a doctorate in Protestant theology. Bonhoeffer completed his vicariate in Barcelona, spent a year studying in New York, and worked as a private lecturer and student pastor in Berlin until 1933. After the National Socialists came to power, Bonhoeffer became a staunch opponent of the regime. He was involved in the Confessing Church, which he co-founded. Bonhoeffer was also part of the group that planned the assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler on July 20, 1944. He was arrested in April 1943 and hanged on April 9, 1945, in the Flossenburg concentration camp. The day before, he had been sentenced to death in a show trial.