City of Jena develops new commemoration and remembrance concept for the end of Nazi tyranny

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the city of Jena once again clearly acknowledges its responsibility towards its own history and the active remembrance of the crimes of National Socialism. For this reason, a resolution for a comprehensive commemoration and remembrance concept that strengthens historical awareness and raises awareness of democracy, freedom and human dignity in an innovative and proven way will be submitted to the City Council for the upcoming meeting on 29 April 2025. On October 10, 2012, the Jena City Council adopted the local concept "Commemorate, Remember, Reappraise" (12/1630-BV) submitted by the Culture Committee to deal with the Nazi tyranny. With the current draft resolution, concrete implementation measures are now to be decided.

Lord Mayor Dr. Thomas Nitzsche:

"Remembering means taking responsibility - especially at a time when anti-democratic tendencies and history-distorting populism are becoming louder again. We must keep our history alive in order to learn from it and remain vigilant. We have created many places of remembrance in the city and made them visible, for example at Enver-Simsek-Platz or recently with the renaming of Robert Büchler Weg. The memorial concept for the end of Nazi tyranny is now another important building block to make this visible: Never again must such a chapter of our history be repeated."

Head of Cultural Affairs Johannes Schleußner adds:

"I am delighted that we have succeeded early on in the current legislature in getting the concept off the ground in a concrete and funded way, finally bringing a discussion process that has been ongoing for almost 13 years to fruition. The people of Jena have a strong awareness of the responsibility that arises from the crimes of National Socialism and are shaping a vibrant culture of remembrance in our city. Accompanying this culture of remembrance well is an important task for the administration and city politicians, which we can then fulfill in an even more targeted manner."

A modern culture of remembrance for the future

With the new concept, the city is pursuing the goal of establishing a contemporary, lively and future-oriented form of commemoration. The focus is on dealing with the local effects of National Socialist tyranny - with a view to both the perpetrators and their victims. The remembrance should not be museum-like and related to the past, but should have an impact on the here and now of society - especially at a time when narratives that distort history and populist tendencies are on the rise.

Learning workshop for young people

A particular focus is on educational work with young people. In cooperation with relevant partners, the Jena Adult Education Center plans to develop a mobile and flexible learning workshop aimed specifically at school pupils and young adults. In workshops at historical sites in the city, topics such as the Nazi takeover, the Reichspogromnacht or the end of the war in 1945 will be addressed and placed in a local context.

"Precisely because fewer and fewer contemporary witnesses are able to tell their stories, it is our task to find new ways of communicating that appeal to young people and invite them to actively engage with history,"

says Friedrun Vollmer, head of the municipal enterprise JenaKultur, which will be responsible for implementing the concept.

Digital memorial trail through the city

An audiovisual memorial trail is also planned, which will be designed as a digital walk through the city. It will lead from the adult education center along historical sites in the city center and make the past tangible through multimedia content. The content will be closely linked to the themes of the learning workshop and designed to provide emotional access to history - both for locals and visitors to the city.

Implementation planned until 2027

The project will be implemented in stages until the end of 2027. An interim evaluation is planned for mid-2027 in order to decide whether to continue the measures on a permanent basis. To ensure successful implementation, two new staff positions are planned to coordinate the organization, moderation and content of the project. Funding will be provided by the city's own municipal enterprise JenaKultur as part of the existing grant agreements. In addition, funding is to be obtained, in particular from the state's political education programs.

A strong signal against forgetting

In the past, the city of Jena has already impressively demonstrated how the culture of remembrance can be shaped together with projects such as the stele commemorating the forced labor camps, the digital memorial and death book and the citizens' initiative "Sound of the Stumbling Stones". With the new memorial concept, the city is building on these successes and sending a strong signal against forgetting - for an open, democratic society.