Remembering Jena's lost buildings

Where were there historically important buildings in Jena that have since disappeared? Why do these buildings no longer exist? And how do we remember them today? The City History Day on Saturday, March 14, 2026, will get to the bottom of these questions under the motto "Spaces of remembrance: Jena's vanished buildings". Lectures, city tours, guided tours, workshops and films will shed light on how memories are tied to places and what their disappearance means for us.

The venue is the site of the Old Library

Few people know that the Thuringian University and State Library dates back to the Bibliotheca Electoralis of 1549. The site of the Old Library, which was bombed in 1945, is the venue for this year's City History Day, with keynote speeches and discussions on various topics. Some buildings are still preserved today as models, others - such as the Tierarzney School - were only digitized shortly before demolition. Photographic presentations on the Löbdergraben and the streetcar systems will show the changes. The buildings of the Nazi camps and the anti-aircraft defense on the forest are no longer there today, but the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra also began in this period. Many people can still remember the old town, but other finds, such as in the old Zwätzen estate, have only recently been discovered. In the afternoon, visitors to the ThULB will have the opportunity to see the remains of the old library and sources on other lost Jena buildings in the Historical Collections.

Guided tours bring lost buildings back to life

However, other sites of buildings that have disappeared will also be on display on City History Day. The director of the Romantikerhaus, Max Pommer, will explain what is known about the historic Romantikerhaus in Jena's old town and how the name came to be confused with today's Romantikerhaus. Those interested can also rediscover the lost city palace on a tour of the main university building with the Custodian of the Friedrich Schiller University, Dr. Babett Forster. The buildings on the tour with monument conservator Fridtjof Florian Dossin have not yet disappeared, and despite their significance for the history of industrialization, their future is unclear. But what happens when you build a monument on top of a monument is demonstrated by Thomas Schmidt on the historic site of the ZEISS Planetarium. The sites of Jena's monasteries and printing works, the Kollegienkirche church, the various Jena theaters, the ZEISS main factory and places of Nazi victims are also made visible again through tours.

Get creative and start a conversation

In the afternoon, families can take part in an intergenerational exchange at the painting and storytelling workshop at the Jena Artistic Evening School. The 360-degree film screening in the cathedral tent in the Imaginata (outdoor location of the planetarium) offers a creative journey for young and old into the time and home of Erhard Weigel. At the end of the day, the public is invited to join representatives of the city, university and Ernst Abbe Foundation in a city talk to discuss how we can and should remember these places today.

"With this year's City History Day program, we also want to specifically address people who have not yet engaged more intensively with the history of our city - but who are curious about historical places and the often forgotten 'lost places',"

explains Johannes Schleußner, Head of Cultural Affairs.

"City history thrives on the commitment of many. Institutes, associations and working groups have researched the history of the buildings with great care and preserved important memories. My thanks go to all cooperation partners, the employees of the administration and the many volunteers. They help to keep the culture of remembrance alive and make the city's history accessible and tangible for all of us."

The background

The City History Day was launched in 2009 as a series of events by city historian Dr. Rüdiger Stutz. In Jena, it is taking place for the fourteenth time this year, organized by city historian Dr Jenny Price. In the past, various topics and eras have been highlighted on the Day of City History and various formats have been tried out - from lectures and discussions to book presentations, photo and film recordings, light installations, city tours, music and comedy to a hybrid event that can still be viewed on YouTube. In 2016, the focus was on Eichplatz with a multimedia tour through the historic old town quarter between Johannisstrasse and Leutrastrasse. This was a reminder of a symbolic location that has disappeared from the cityscape and has a firm place in the city's cultural memory. This year, the focus will be expanded to include other lost buildings and places that shaped Jena's history.

The City History Day is an event organized by the city of Jena and carried out by JenaKultur with the cooperation of various institutions, associations and actors in the field of city history research. All events are open to the public, free of charge and without registration. We ask for your understanding that the guided tours and city walks only have a maximum capacity of 25 to 30 people.