News
“It’s about human dignity”
8 May 2026
By students, for students: The independent Students Remember association is strengthening the culture of remembrance at LMU Munich—and will soon be doing the same further afield.
“This is the place to learn moral courage,” says law student Simon Theodor Fetscher. Standing beside him, up on the balustrade in LMU’s main building, is art history student Victoria Lobato.
A plaque commemorates how Sophie Scholl and Hans Scholl scattered the White Rose leaflets into the atrium from this very spot. It was February 18, 1943, just before eleven o’clock.
Everything oozes history
Remembrance of the Nazi era is everywhere. There is the reference to Jakob Schmid, the hall attendant who discovered and arrested the Scholls; the ground monument in front of the main entrance; a name plaque in the atrium; the memorial site itself. Everything oozes history. On the brick wall of the university library on Schellingstrasse, a glass panel entitled “Wounds of Rembrance” marks the bullet and impact scars left by World War II. It is almost impossible to overlook so much history.
And yet, two and a half years ago, Simon Fetscher founded the association Students Remember to push back against indifference and ignorance. To keep alive remembrance and engagement. This was a deliberate effort to communicate knowledge—by students, for students—and to find orientation through shared reflection that leaves the outcome open.
“There are so many great initiatives and people working on remembrance culture,” Fetscher says, “but what we’re doing has never existed before.”
Remembering the past, shaping the present and future
“The only reason why many students choose not to engage with history,” he explains, “is because they feel it has been neatly pre-packaged for them.” Well, that is nothing new. It is a school exercise with which everyone is familiar.
Fetscher’s vision is clear: “I firmly believe that no one—whether they become an engineer, a chemist or a lawyer—should graduate from a German university without having grappled with certain historical questions.”
He wants to give remembrance culture a permanent place in student life. Especially today, as the association’s mission statement puts it, remembering history is crucial if we are to understand the present and shape our future.
Simon Theodor Fetscher and Victoria Lobato from “Students Remember.” The organization aims to make remembrance a central part of student life.
© LMU/Monika GoetschThere are so many great initiatives and people working on remembrance culture, but what we’re doing has never existed before.Simon Theodor Fetscher
The entire spectrum of democratic voices
Fetscher’s idea has taken off: Around 70 students from a wide range of disciplines are now working to ensure that history is not forgotten. Monthly member events, regular meetups, workshops and keynote addresses are part of the student-run project, alongside public talks, film screenings and panel discussions.
The association sets great store by its independence. Its regular events, some with impressive line-ups, are funded through donations. According to Fetscher, its members represent “the entire spectrum of democratic viewpoints.”
The goal is to counter indifference and create space for well-informed discussion. “It’s not our job to persuade people who hold extreme views.” For Fetscher, successfully conveying historical knowledge is also a matter of getting the framing right: “Once you connect it to the present, suddenly everyone is engaged again.”
Building a bridge from past to present
That’s why the association doesn’t focus solely on recent history. It’s about cultivating knowledge and fostering lively debate on current issues: Why does antisemitism persist? What can we learn from historical experience? And to what responsibilities does that give rise for us today?
Beyond that, Students Remember is working to shed light on the history of the former House of German Law at Ludwigstrasse 28. During the Nazi era, the law was interpreted there. Today, the building—across from LMU’s main building—houses a library and the Faculty of Economics.
There is still no plaque informing visitors of its past. But discussions with university representatives have been promising, so a the plaque is definitely on its way. However, institutional decision-making takes time. When it will be affixed and what exactly it will say thus remains undecided.
Im Studium hat mir manchmal die kreative Komponente gefehlt. Hier kann man etwas bewegen. Das ist ein echtes Lebenslearning.Viktoria Lobota
Don’t complain—Do something!
The associated processes of networking are valuable learning experiences in themselves. “This work is so enriching,” says Victoria Lobato, who helps manage the association’s social media presence. “I sometimes missed the creative side in my studies. But here, you can actually make a difference. It’s learning in real life.” Lobato adds that they have had positive experiences everywhere: “That is hugely motivating.”
For Fetscher, the association’s work is also about a sense of agency. “It’s simply not enough to complain about the state of the world if you enjoy the privilege of being able to do more.”
His vision is ambitious, and the association’s goals extend far beyond LMU. Collaboration with the Technical University of Munich and the Munich School of Philosophy is planned, as are events in Augsburg and Berlin. Looking further ahead, the Students Remember project is set to expand nationwide starting in the winter semester of 2026/27.
“At the end of the day, it’s not just about remembering,” Simon Fetscher says. “It’s about human dignity.”