History Takes Place

Wroclaw 2005

In 2005 the Summer School „History takes Place” took place in Wroclaw from July 15 to July 24. Along with the historian Dr. Gregor Thum Wroclaw was explored as lieu de mémoire thus giving the participants the opportunity to investigate the various aspects of Polish and German identity by themselves.
Most of these investigations followed the question to what extent the European metropolis Wroclaw might function as a positively connoted “space of identity”. Such a positive function is challenged by seminal elements of Wroclaw’s Polish and German heritage, e.g. the excesses of German nationalism, the destruction of the German city and the expelling of its citizens. The difficult start as a Polish city after 1945 brought further breaks and experiences of “Heimatverlust” and dictatorship. Taken together, the city stands as an example for the major socio-historical shifts of the 20th century.