Dresden University of Technology in the “Age of Extremes.” A Midterm Assessment
The mid-term conference of the research project “The Dresden University of Technology under National Socialism” marks an important milestone on the road to the 200th anniversary of the founding of TU Dresden in 2028.
It will take place October 28–30, 2026, in the Dülfer Hall at TU Dresden (Dülferstraße 2). Participation is free of charge. Please register via this page .
Program as a brochure (PDF in German)
First flag-raising ceremony to mark the dedication of the Nazi Student Union building (now part of the Günther-Landgraf Building), April 1936. Photo published in the magazine “Hochschulblatt Grenzland Sachsen,” 1936
In the context of Eric Hobsbawm’s conception of the 20th century as the “Age of Extremes,” the conference will focus on the history of the TH/TU Dresden during an era of profound political, social, and scientific upheaval.
The focus is on new insights into the university’s role during the Nazi era, as well as on the interplay between science, politics, and society, and the continuities and ruptures between the Weimar Republic, the Nazi dictatorship, and the early
GDR.
The conference offers researchers involved in the project a forum to discuss their findings in dialogue with recognized experts in the fields of higher education, science, technology, medicine, and contemporary history. Specialized presentations, a keynote address, and scholarly commentaries will situate the contributions within current research debates and provide an initial scholarly interim assessment of the project.
Program
6:00 p.m.
Opening Remarks by Roswitha Böhm, Vice Rector for University Culture and Internationalization
Welcome by the conference organizers, Gisela Hürlimann and Hagen Schönrich
6:15 p.m.
Remarks by Ursula Staudinger, Rector of TU Dresden
6:30 p.m.
Keynote Lecture by Volker Roelcke (Giessen): Totalitarianism, Racism, and War: The Scope for Action of Universities in the Nazi era
7:45 p.m.
Reception
8:30–10:15 a.m.
Panel 1: Engineering in the Service of the Regime
Chair: Mark Walker (Schenectady, NY)
Commentary: Heike Weber (Berlin)
Stephanie Zloch (Stuttgart/Dresden): The Struggle for Prestige. The Technical University of Dresden and the Kaiser Wilhelm Society under National Socialism
Maximilian Gasch (Dresden): GDR Automotive Research with International Reputation: The Postwar History of Automotive Research in Dresden
10:15–10:45 a.m.
Coffee break
10:45 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Panel 2: On the Political Economy of Science: (Self-)Mobilization, Cooperation, and Dissent
Chair: Mary Fulbrook (London)
Commentary: Christian Kehrt (Braunschweig)
Ole Sparenberg (Karlsruhe): The Department of Chemistry at the Technical University of Dresden under National Socialism: Staff, Fields of Work, (Self-)Mobilization, and Dissent, 1930–1945
Johannes Schütz (Potsdam/Dresden): University—Industry—Urban Society: Collaborations Between the Dresden University of Technology and Industrial Enterprises and Their Sociohistorical Implications
Swen Steinberg (Kingston, Ontario): “Nazis in the Woodpile.” The Tharandt Forestry College in the Transatlantic Tension Between Knowledge Transfer and Ideology
1:00–2:00 p.m.
Lunch (Alte Mensa)
2:00–3:00 p.m.
Panel 3: Analyzing and “Optimizing” People—Psychotechnology and “Hygiene”
Chair: Richard Wetzell (Washington, DC)
Commentary: Volker Roelcke (Giessen)
Christine Ludl (Dresden): Psychotechnical Methods of Aptitude Assessment: Research, Evaluation, and Selection for the Military, Industry, and Public Administration at the Technical University of Dresden, 1922–1945
Marion Hulverscheidt (Kassel): The Hygiene Institute at the Technical University of Dresden under National Socialism—People, Research, and Fields of Study
4:00–4:30 p.m.
Coffee break
4:30–6:00 p.m.
Panel 4: Academic Cultures and Politics
Chair: Dagmar Ellerbrock (Dresden)
Commentary: Moritz Epple (Frankfurt)
Hagen Schönrich (Dresden): Appointment Without a Process. Otto Oesterhelt at the Geodetic Institute of the Technical University of Dresden and the Transformation of Academic Structures Under National Socialism
Michael Wetzel (Dresden): Academic Dignity and the Nazi Concept of Honor: Revocation of Doctoral Degrees and Honorary Doctorates at the Technical University of Dresden, 1933–1945
Aron Schulze (Dresden): The Practices of the Personnel Commissions at the TU Dresden, ca. 1991–1993
9:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Panel 5: Transformations? Cultural Studies, Education, Libraries
Chair: Markus Stumpf (Vienna)
Commentary: Karin Zachmann (Munich)
Linda Fleck (Dresden): Pedagogical Professionalization or Ideological Indoctrination? Between Aspiration and Reality in the Training of Public School Teachers at the Technical University of Dresden
Manuel Clancett (Dresden): The Organization of the Symbolic: Rector’s Circulars and the Formation of Power at the Dresden University of Technology, 1933–1935
Christoph Sauer (Dresden): “A Greater Focus on Acquisitions in the Technical Field at the Technical University Will Not Go Unnoticed.” The New Acquisitions Catalogs of the Dresden Technical University Library (1935–1945)
12:30–1:30 p.m.
Closing Discussion
Chair and commentary: Désirée Schauz (Karlsruhe)