Landscape of Remembrance - Dresden and Terezín as memorial places of the Shoah
Short Facts
project titel: Landscape of Remembrance - Dresden and Terezín as memorial places of the Shoah
duration: July, 1st 2012 – June, 30th 2014
funded by: Ziel3/Cíl 3-support program of cross-border cooperation between the Free State of Saxony and the Czech Republic
projekt partners: Technical University of Dresden (MeZ – Institute for Central-European Studies & MZ – Media Center)
in cooperation with the Saxon Memorial Foundation;
Terezín Memorial and
University of West Bohemia in Plzeň
Project Description
In the history of the city of Dresden in the 20th century the years between 1933 and 1945 mark a deep cut shaping the cityscape immensely and irrevocably. The trauma of the destruction on February, 13th and 14th in 1945 is mainly part of the commemorative culture of the city; but since Viktor Klemperer’s precise diary-entries of the destiny of the persecuted Jews in Dresden were published, the Shoah became very apparent to the city’s public, too. The Saxon Memorial Foundation presents a voluminous collection of documents and archive material on the topic of Jews in Dresden that helps to commemorate the Shoah in and around Dresden. The visit of the Terezín Memorial in the Czech Republic is also an important part of Saxon education strategies. In 1947 the National Suffering Memorial in Terezín was opened on the site of the suffering of tens of thousands; it was later on renamed the Terezín Memorial and ever since it has been a major memorial place of the crimes of National Socialists in Central and Eastern Europe. At the same time, the Terezín Memorial is an important place to focus on understanding and reconciliation, regarding the relations of the neighbouring countries Germany and Czech Republic.
With a cross-border project these two significant places of commemorative culture of the Shoah will be linked. In cooperation between the Terezín Memorial, the Technical University in Dresden (particularly the Institute for Central-European Studies & the Media Center) and the University of West-Bohemia in Plzeň a multimedia-presentation will be compiled, funded by the Ziel3/Cíl 3-support program of cross-border cooperation between the Free State of Saxony and the Czech Republic until June, 30th 2014.
The result of the project will be a 3D-model of a ›landscape of remembrance‹ that represents the memorial places for the memory of the victims of those terrible crimes, committed during the 1930’s and 1940’s in the Bohemian-Saxon border region. The three-dimensional map will integrate 3D-models of the cities Terezín and Dresden, historical information and objects in a multimedia-based model. The model will be presented partly on the internet and partly through local information points at the Terezín Memorial and the Münchner Platz Dresden Memorial.
On the one hand, the present cityscape of Dresden will become transparent for its history, for guilt and responsibility. On the other hand, the huge volume of knowledge collected by the Terezín Memorial in 50 years of archival and historical work will become available to the public. The project wants to give a voice to the memories of the past for visitors from around the world, but explicitly for the younger generation.
Public relations
"Landschaft des Gedenkens". In: haGalil.com, 5.11.2012. read it here [german]
Michael Ernst: Erinnerungsorte, um Schuld nicht zu vergessen. In: Dresdner Universitätsjournal, 13.11.2012. read it here [german]
Steffen Neumann: 3-D-Modell soll an Shoah erinnern. In: Sächsische Zeitung, 23.11.2012. read it here [german]
V Plzni na ZČU se tvoří 3D modely Terezína. In: ústeckénovinky.cz, 28.11.2012. read it here [czech]
Contact
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Walter Schmitz (project management)
Tel.: +49 351 463 - 37865
mez[at]tu-dresden.de
Daniela Kölling (project coordination)
Tel.: +49 351 463 - 39258
daniela.koelling[at]tu-dresden.de
Dr. Katrin Friese (financial management)
Tel.: +49 351 463 - 42190
katrin.friese[at]tu-dresden.de
