Railcar Exhibit
“For over five years we have been trying to locate a pre-WWII railcar, the kind used to transport Jews to the death camps during the Holocaust," states Janet Hesler, Danville Station president. Potential deals on railcars in Macedonia and Poland that we worked on fell through. Then a deal was made on an “authentic” railcar which was found January 2022 in Moers, Germany by Claudia Korenke and Bernhard Mertens from Frankfurt, Germany.
After we received the Destination Iowa Grant in August 2022, our dreams and efforts soon became a reality. The grant was to be used for purchase, restoration, and shipping of the car to Danville, Iowa.
So, the work began…In December 2022, the railcar was moved from Moers to Duisberg, Germany, where it was refurbished by Die Schmiede, the same company that refurbished the railcar that sits in the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Poland.”
Our railcar arrived at the Danville Station campus on August 17, 2023, after having an ocean journey to Maryland, and then a long truck ride to the Quad Cities for its first unveiling. The Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities has been instrumentally supportive of this effort to bring a railcar to Danville to enhance the Anne Frank Museum experience.
This project was funded through Iowa Economic Development, Destination Iowa Grant.
Railcar media links:
