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- Title
Memory, Heritage and the Demolition of the Potsdam Garnisonkirche, 1968.
- Authors
Colla, Marcus
- Abstract
In 1968, the ruling Socialist Unity Party demolished Potsdam's Garnisonkirche (Garrison Church). This article analyses the way in which the demolition of the Garnisonkirche opened up a spectrum of reflections on the meaning of the Prussian and Nazi pasts in the GDR and the ways it ought to be mediated through the urban landscape. Using petitions sent by everyday citizens to the local political authorities as well as debates within the SED itself, this article demonstrates how the public discussion about the demolition of the church navigated the many problems posed by Potsdam's 'burdened' past in its urban spaces. While a number of individuals believed that this history could be transcended through the construction of a 'new' Potsdam, others believed that effectively handling the recent past required a direct confrontation with its architectural symbols.
- Subjects
MILITARY churches; SOZIALISTISCHE Einheitspartei Deutschlands; BUILDING demolition; PRUSSIANS; EAST German history
- Publication
German History, 2020, Vol 38, Issue 2, p290
- ISSN
0266-3554
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1093/gerhis/ghaa010