The Josif Volozki Monastery near Volokolamsk 1941/1989

The reconstruction of the Russian Orthodox Josif Volozki Monastery near Volokolamsk, sealed in 1989, was supposed to set in motion a great German-Russian work of reconciliation. The reason given was the extensive damage or destruction of the monastery complex by German soldiers during the Second World War. The main financial burden lay with the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. A broad-based fundraising campaign was to raise further funds. So far so good. But had the monastery really been destroyed by the Wehrmacht? For historian Gunter Leopold Spraul, this justification was not very credible. This documentary report traces his efforts to clarify the facts. At the same time, it testifies to the unwillingness of politicians and the media to follow up on Spraul's arguments and evidence. In the end, the project failed. The false statement about the destruction of the monastery was never officially corrected in this country, but it was in Russia.