Animals played a diverse and often tragic role in the Second World War: they were used in military operations as a means of transportation, a means of communication or even as weapons. At the same time, animals were instrumentalized and symbolically charged. The Dresden-based author Marcel Beyer approaches the themes of war and violence in the past and present through a literary examination of animals. In his novels "Flughunde" (1995) and "Kaltenburg" (2008), the suffering of animals during the Second World War, especially in bombed-out Dresden, is a recurring theme. In "Die tonlose Stimmen beim Anblick der Toten auf den Straßen von Butscha", Marcel Beyer introduces the reader to the silent witnesses of the war in Ukraine. 

Journalist and non-fiction author Jan Mohnhaupt analyzes the human-animal relationship in his books "Von Spinnen und Menschen. Eine verwobene Beziehung" (2024), "Tiere im Nationalsozialismus" (2020) and "Der Zoo der Anderen" (2017), Jan Mohnhaupt analyzes the relationship between humans and animals. With a view to dictatorships, they deal with the ideological instrumentalization of animals and the contradictory nature of politics and privacy. 

Both authors approach the subject from different perspectives - Beyer in a literary-symbolic way, Mohnhaupt in a historical-analytical way - and thus shed light on the complex human-animal relationship during the Second World War.

Moderation: Dr. Christina Ludwig, Director of the City Museum

The event is part of the series "Dresden 1945 - People of the City between Downfall and a New Beginning". It is embedded in the commemorative year Dresden 2025 - Future through Remembrance. Various formats and events will be used to broaden the perspective on 1945 as a whole.

Organizer: Division for Culture, Science and Tourism
Place: Dresden City Museum 
Registration under: www.kulturevents.dresden.de