We bid farewell to Uta Denzin-von Broich-Oppert

obituary

We mourn the loss of Uta Denzin-von Broich-Oppert, who passed away on February 11, 2026, at the age of 86. Uta Denzin was closely associated with the Wannseeheim for Youth Work eV and later with the wannseeFORUM Foundation.

We remember Uta Denzin as a great enabler: She – mostly in collaboration with the director of the Wannseeheim Gabriele Naundorf – contributed to realizing milestones in the work with girls and women at our educational institution, both through her commitment to the content and through important financial cooperation.

Two milestones should be mentioned that took place here over decades and had a lasting impact on educational work – and which, as has been proven, always provided the participants with new ideas and unforgettable impressions.

These include – from 1980 onwards – the annual professional development courses for pedagogical staff from approximately 80 West German educational institutions, united in the "Working Group of German Educational Institutions" (AdB). Cultural and political topics ranging from "Rituals – Cultural Norms – Cultural Forms" to "Women in the Third World" were addressed, always reflecting the latest research in girls', women's, and gender studies, and sometimes employing unconventional artistic methods. Subsequently, the materials and methods could be adapted as seminar models for participants' own programs.

The prerequisite for this was the formation in 1979 of an independent commission for "Girls' and Women's Education" within the AdB (Association of German Girls and Women). Uta Denzin, both personally and as head of the state educational institution "Haus am Rupenhorn" and as a founding member of the AdB, played a key, energetic, and successful role in this, despite considerable resistance.

From 1986 onwards, she provided similarly significant operational, content-related, and "moral" support to a new, groundbreaking series of events at the Wannseeheim: the nationwide conferences "Femininity as an Opportunity," aimed at female staff members from autonomous girls' work and coeducational youth centers. These conferences brought together representatives of the developing field of women's and gender studies with practitioners.

The title was programmatic, as the aim was to highlight the strengths of girls and women and develop their potential – a departure from the previously prevalent "deficit approach". Under these auspices, the participants – initially from West Germany, and from 1990 also from the new federal states – were able to further their education, exchange ideas, and build networks.

Gabriele Naundorf, the organizer, writes:
“As an independent organization, Wannseeheim initiated the event series, but it would not have been possible without the financial and professional support of Uta Denzin von Broich-Oppert and her ‘Haus am Rupenhorn’ as a state institution. Until 2008, ‘the Wannseeheim’ became… a truly legendary place for women working with girls.”
(Gabriele Naundorf, From Wannseeheim for Youth Work eV to the wannseeFORUM Foundation, 2nd edition 2017, pp. 70 ff.)

Anyone who participated in these major conferences will remember how Uta Denzin always contributed personally and with substantial discussion contributions, and that she was always an important, knowledgeable and experienced inspiration and at the same time an impressive personality.

Uta Denzin was also institutionally involved in youth work at the Wannseeheim. She served on its board from 2005, and when the organization became the wannseeFORUM Foundation in 2012, she continued her work on the board until 2017 – a role she fulfilled with great dedication, competence, and wisdom. Even afterward, as a member of the board of trustees, she was a linchpin of wannseeFORUM; we could always count on her when it came to advocating for something or taking on tasks, whether it was preparing the summer festival, discussing how to deal with extremist parties, or organizing the bereavement café for Gabriele Naundorf. We could rely on her to take a stand when it mattered, while simultaneously acting in a conciliatory, compromise-oriented, and consensus-driven manner. Her cheerful way of identifying problems and finding solutions will remain unforgettable.

The idea of ​​emancipatory and participatory youth education work was very close to her heart, and she was committed with conviction and enthusiasm to implementing it in the everyday life of the seminars and workshops of the wannseeFORUM.

Her commitment to democratic values ​​was recognized in 2019 with the awarding of the Louise Schroeder Medal. This medal honors a person who has exemplified the political and personal legacy of Louise Schroeder in an outstanding way – a legacy that Louise Schroeder herself described as follows: “If I, as a woman, was able to fulfill a special task, it was to bring people closer together, to strengthen their aversion to dictatorship, and to help them as far as possible…” This was Uta Denzin: She brought people together and strengthened their fundamental understanding of democracy.

We are happy that we were able to work with her and travel with her.

Cillie Rentmeister, Sabine Behn