Learning resource and teacher’s notes
Am Ende kommen Touristen
(And Along came Tourists)
Director: Robert Thalheim, 85 minutes (Germany 2007)
This study pack is produced by Glasgow Film Theatre with support from our partners.
Am Ende kommen Touristen
1. What is the film about?
Sven, a nineteen year old German, is assigned to do his ‘Zivildienst’ in Oświęcim which is the
Polish name for the town of Auschwitz. On arrival, he is confronted with a new language (Polish),
German and Polish history, the concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau and the tourist industry
which surrounds it all.
One of Sven’s main duties is to care for an elderly man called Stanisław Krzemiński. Stanisław
is a former inmate who never left the camp and now spends his time either giving eyewitness
accounts or repairing old suitcases originally taken from the Jews as they arrived at the
concentration camp from all over Europe. Sven not only has to endure Krzemiński’s rude
manners but also has to put up with contempt of various locals.
Sven dislikes his new daily routines and knows little about the Holocaust, Nazi atrocities and
Auschwitz. When Sven meets and falls in love with Ania who works as a guide for German
visitors in Auschwitz-Birkenau, he finally begins to discover and understand both Auschwitz and
Oświęcim. This new perspective brings him closer to Stanislaw and his life and he realises why
repairing the suitcases has become so important to the old man.
In an attempt to support Stanisław’s needs, Sven gets himself into trouble. At the same time, the
outcome of Sven’s failed attempt to help makes Stanisław realise that the time has come to move
on and out of the past. Sven, on the other hand, realises that he cannot give up on Auschwitz and
decides to do his share of ‘Vergangenheitsbewältigung’.
Robert Thalheim
Robert Thalheim was born in Berlin in 1974. After his schooling in the USA and Germany, he
himself also carried out his ‘Zivildienst’ in Auschwitz. Between 2000 and 2006 he studied at
the Free University Berlin and the “Konrad Wolf” Academy of Film & Television. He is also
the publisher of the cultural periodical Plotzki.
Am Ende kommen Touristen
2. Characters in the Film
Sven Lehnert
a 19 year-old German doing his ‘Zivildienst’ in Auschwitz
Stanislaw Krzeminski
a former inmate of the concentration camp who still lives there
and repairs suitcases.
Ania Lanuszewska a Polish girl who gives guided tours for Germans at
Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Krzysztof Lanuszewski
Ania’s brother who works in the local chemical plant, now
owned by a German company.
Andrea Schneider
the chemical plant’s German representative who invites
Krzemiński to give an eyewitness account to a group of
German apprentices at the chemical plant.
3. Background Information
Auschwitz
Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest of Nazi Germany’s concentration camps. The remains of the
camp are located around 50 kilometres from the Polish city of Kraków. The camp took its name
from the nearby town of Oświęcim. Birkenau, the German translation of Brzezinka, refers to the
many birch trees surrounding the complex. Following the German invasion of Poland in 1939,
Oświęcim was annexed by the Germans and renamed Auschwitz. Throughout the world, the
name Auschwitz has become a synonym for the Holocaust and Nazi terror during 1933 and 1945
as most victims were killed in Auschwitz II’s gas chambers. In 1947 Poland founded a museum at
the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Zivildienst
German law states conscription (Wehrpflicht) for male citizens of age (18). However, the law also
requires conscientious objection to be possible. Thus, men can alternatively do a civilian service
called ‘Zivildienst’. The conscientious objections have to be declared in a personal letter to the
authorities and must be directed against war and military service in general. Zivildienst, therefore,
describes a compulsory low paid community service which, in Germany, since 2003 lasts for nine
months. Zivildienst can be carried out for example in old people’s homes, hospitals or ambulance
services. However, sometimes it is possible to do this civilian service abroad if the institution is
supported by the German government. Men from families of those oppressed by the Nazi regime or
men who have at least two older brothers who have done their service are exempt from conscription
or community service. Although conscription does not apply to girls they may join the military.
Am Ende kommen Touristen
Holocaust
The term Holocaust derives from the Greek words holos meaning completely and kaustos meaning
burnt. It is the term generally used to refer to the mass murder or genocide of Jews, Sinti and
Roma, Homosexuals, disabled people and political and religious opponents by the Nazis during
World War II.
Vergangenheitsbewältigung
This is a well established German term that does not quite have an equivalent in other languages
(like Zeitgeist, Fahrvergnügen or Blitzkrieg for example). It means “working-off-the-past” and is
generally used when referring to Germany’s handling of the history of the Holocaust and the Nazi
regime. There are many books and films that deal with the topic of ‘Vergangenheitsbewältigung’
such as ‘Schindler’s List’ for example. ‘Schindler’s List’ is a 1993 Steven Spielberg movie based
on the true story of Oscar Schindler. He was a German businessman who saved the lives of more
than one thousand Polish Jews during the Holocaust. He employed them in his enamelware and
ammunition factories so that they could not be taken to Auschwitz.
4. Questions you might want to discuss
• Why is Oświęcim/Auschwitz a sensitive place? How do the different characters talk about
the past?
• Why does Krzemiński still live in the camp? What difficulties do other people experience
with him?
• What is your view on the ‘commemorative tourism’ presented in the movie? How should today’s
generation deal with the past?
• How would you characterize Ania? What is her relationship with her home town? Why does
Ania want to leave Oświęcim? How do her future plans differ from Sven’s?
• How is everyday life at the memorial place described? Why does this ‘hype’ conflict with the
dignity of the place?
• What movies or books about the Holocaust do you know?
Am Ende kommen Touristen
5. Exercises
a) What words would you choose to characterize Sven, Ania and Stanislaw? Choose from the
selection below.
freundlich – friendly
unhöflich – rude jung – young
alt – old
engagiert – committed
ambitioniert – ambitious
hilfsbereit – helpful
verständnisvoll – understanding
sympathisch – sympathetic
traurig – sad
glücklich - happy
wütend - angry
mutig - brave
tolerant - tolerant
selbstbewusst - confident
Sven ist ____________________________________________________
Ania ist ____________________________________________________
Stanislaw ist _________________________________________________________
b) What are Sven’s duties? Please tick the boxes accordingly. Were you surprised that it is
possible to conduct ‘Zivildienst’ in Oświęcim? Explain your views.
richtig
falsch
Sven arbeitet im Museum.
Sven fährt Stanislaw zu seinen Terminen.
Sven hilft in der Küche.
Sven weiß viel über Auschwitz.
Sven wohnt bei seinem Chef.
Sven hilft mit den Schulgruppen.
Sven mag Frau Schneider nicht.
Sven wollte immer schon mal nach Auschwitz.
Sven kommt aus München.
Sven spricht sehr gut polnisch.
c) How does Sven’s and Krzemiński’s relationship develop in the course of the movie? What
could be the reasons for Krzemiński’s rude manners? Why is restoring the suitcases so important
to Kerzeminski? What does it mean to him?
Keeping these questions in mind, write two diary entries from Sven’s point of view - one from the
beginning of his stay and the other from the moment he decides to stay in Auschwitz. How do
they differ?
Am Ende kommen Touristen
d) At the beginning of the movie, Sven is laughed at for being German by young Poles as
well as by the older generation. Write a letter that Sven sends to a friend in Berlin describing
this experience.
Oświęcim, 2009
Lieber Peter, Wie geht es Dir? Ich bin nun seit einer Woche hier in Auschwitz und…
Am Ende kommen Touristen
subject
topics
methods
German
analysing stereotypes and prejudices
against social groups and peoples
conduct a survey/questionnaire on images
and clichés
communication: speaking and listening
describing feelings with adjectives and
comparisons
compare with the movie ‘Schindler’s List’ or
‘The Pianist’
analysing poems, for example Paul Celan’s
‘Die Todesfuge’ (1947)
History/
Politics/
Modern
Studies
Religious
Education/
Ethics/
Philosophy
using methods from an internet project, for
example http://www.celan-projekt.de
concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau
analysing sources
role of the German industry/chemical plant
during World War II
analysing sources
oral history
discussing the importance, possibilities and
problems
Poland and the EU
gathering demographic data and facts about
the Polish economy
German-Polish relations
analysing Sven’s relationship with Poland
importance of Friedensdiensten (peace
service)
Music
discussing particularly interesting scenes
from the movie
discussing the aim of peace services,
expressing personal expectations
Polish rock music
gathering information on well known and
important Polish bands
the effect of media transfer
importance of live music, comparing live
music to recorded music
classical music (Franz Schubert: ‘Die
schöne Müllerin’, ‘Schwanengesang’)
discussing the possible importance of
Schubert’s music to Krzemiński
historical responsibility of the individual and
society
defining terminology and explaining with
examples
conciliation and forgiveness
defining terminology, researching different
possible encounters between perpetrators
and victims
communication between generations
analysing Sven and Krzemiński’s
relationship with regard to generation
differences and conflicts