Team

Heike Dörrenbächer, Diplom-Politologin, Dr. phil., 1995 – 1999 director of studies and acting head of the Europäische Akademie Berlin, 1999-2013, managing director of the German Association for East European Studies, with a break from 2009-2011, during which she was head of the Kyiv office of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. From 2013-2017, she was head of department for sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, and since January 2018 head of department at the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge (the association for the upkeep of German war graves).

Heike Dörrenbächer supports the PEACE LINE team as head of the culture of remembrance and education department.

Natalia Hoffmann, with a Master’s degree in sociology and Romance studies, worked for the German-Polish Youth Office in Warsaw until 2011, before joining the international section of the Deutsche Pfadfinderschaft St. Georg (the St. Georg German Scouts association). Since 2016, she has been programme coordinator for programme funds at the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge (the association for the upkeep of German war graves) in Kassel and Berlin.

Natalia Hoffmann is responsible for the programme coordination of programme funds in the culture of remembrance and education department.

Viola Benz, Master of Arts in Public History at the Freie Universität Berlin (the Free University in Berlin), study of modern and recent history, the didactics of history and culture management. Bachelor of Arts in culture and business, with a focus on history, at the University of Mannheim and the Univerzita Karlova in Prague (Czech Republic). Involved in different cultural projects at the Kulturamt Mannheim (the Mannheim culture bureau); project assistant at the culture office of the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region, and the creation of an anniversary exhibition of IG Metall, Berlin-Brandenburg-Saxony. Traineeship in project management at the beier+wellach exhibition bureau.

Viola Benz has been involved in PEACE LINE since the beginning. In 2020 she was mainly responsible for the Green Route, since January 2021 she has also taken over the project coordination. Currently, Viola Benz is on parental leave.

Verena Bartsch, Master of Arts in Public History at Freie Universität Berlin and Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Science with focus on cultural history at the Viadrina University Frankfurt (Oder). Before joining the PEACE LINE team she ran a GNO for integration and intercultural exchange in Berlin. She also helped visitors from Germany and all over the world to understand Berlins troubled history as a guide at the federal state parliament of Berlin, the Memorial for the murdered Jews of Europe and at the Humboldt Forum.

Between May and August 2022, Verena Benz was responsible for the Blue Route. Currently, she is responsible for the project coordination of PEACE LINE.

Stefan Finkele, Master of Arts in Public History at Free University of Berlin. Bachelor of Arts in European Cultural History and History at University of Augsburg and Université d’Orléans in France. Before joining PEACE LINE, he worked in the Communism History Department of the Federal Foundation for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in Eastern Germany, based in Berlin. As a guide at Berlin Underworlds Association, he spent much of his working time in bunkers, bringing contemporary history closer to their visitors.

At PEACE LINE, Stefan Finkele is responsible for the Green and Yellow Route.

Tabea Wittneben-Fidan, Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies: Poles and Germans within Europe at the Christian Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel and the Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza in Poznań. Bachelor of Arts in Polish Philology and History at the Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel. Before joining the PEACE LINE team she held the position of Program Coordinator at the European New School of Digital Studies at European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder). As a volunteer team leader for summer camps by Action Reconciliation Service for Peace she worked with international groups on the topics of history and commemoration.

At PEACE LINE, Tabea Wittneben-Fidan is responsible for the Blue Route.

Natascha Lucht is responsible for monitoring the budget and supporting the operative project management. She is also the responsible person for our social media activities.