This question has been and will continue to be the overall theme of this dialogue. As we wrap up our time in Munich and depart for Nuremberg we begin to think about how these cities, as well as the others we will visit, deal with recognizing and remembering the historical events that took place. In preparation for our time in Nuremberg we read the introduction to a book called Difficult Heritage by Sharon Macdonald.
"Difficult Heritage focuses on the case of Nuremberg – a city whose name is indelibly linked with Nazism – to explore these questions and their implications". In reading this first section I really got to thinking about my feelings on the past week as well as the upcoming three days in Nuremberg. Before coming to Germany, I had this preconceived notion that there would be historical land markers pointing out that important events had occurred. After a few walking tours and a trip to Dachau, I quickly realized that the German people were really not interested in putting up a red marker indicating that something historical had occurred. Instead, it was almost as if they were trying to cover up all of the horrible things that happened. That is not to say that the sites no longer exist. For example, in the case of something like the Hofbrauhaus, which is a very popular attraction for Germans as well as non-Germans, I would have never known that Hitler proclaimed his twenty-five theses of the National Socialist program. I probably would have never known this unless our tour guide had shared that information with us, after she gave us the statistics on how much beer is consumed every day in this beer garden as well as the growing popularity. To think that we went to the Hofbrauhaus on Fourth of July and sang the National Anthem and laughed and drank pints of beer, and there is absolutely no memory of the events that took place in the past. Many people pass thorough there on a daily basis and think that its just another place for them to grab some liquid bread and spend time with friends and family.
In the case of Dachau, I was completely blown away by the fact that Dachau itself is a relatively populated city as well as the fact that people literally live just feet away from the camp. The fact that someone could live with Dachau in their backyard is just appalling to me. I had a hard time just being there on a tour, let alone having to be reminded every day of my life when I walk out my back door. So in this sense I have to wonder, is Germany trying to cope with the atrocities or are they simply trying to cover them up? Another thing that bothered me was the fact that all German students are required to visit Dachau or other camps. While we were touring the grounds we saw masses of high school students and the majority of them seemed uninterested and some were even disrespectful. You can't force someone to understand something like the Holocaust, they have to want to understand. Personally I signed up for this trip and knew what I was getting myself into. That is not to say that I was prepared for what I saw, or even understood. In reality, I still don't know how I feel after visiting Dachau, but in my opinion, forcing students to go is almost offensive.
All of the activities we have done and the sites we have visited have been amazing, but I would not have understood the history had we not had a guide to share the important facts with us. Even our visit to the local Jewish museum would have not have been as meaningful without a proper tour. Being Jewish I thought I would have been able to use my previous knowledge, but I was surprised to find there were many things I did not even know about my own religion. I also found it strange that in a city where people have guilt about events like that Holocaust, there was one small synagogue that was not open to the public and was located just feet away from a heavily secured museum. On the other hand, there are a number of beautiful churches that anyone can walk into and pray and take photos, but the Jewish museum is a place I probably would have walked by and never known it was a synagogue.
"History has been gathered up and presented as heritage – as meaningful pasts that should be remembered; and more and more buildings and other sites have been called on to act as witnesses of the past. Many kinds of groups have sought to ensure that they are publicly recognised through identifying and displaying ‘their’ heritage".
Based on my time here in Munich I am expecting the same for Nuremberg. Though I know that the Nuremberg trial rooms are still intact, I am not sure that they are simply there for memorials or if they are in fact used today for other purposes. Sharon Macdonald states, "This is the struggle with Nazi heritage – especially remaining architectural heritage – in the city of Nuremberg, Germany; a city which has, perhaps more than any other, found its name linked to the perpetration of the appalling and iconic atrocity of modernity – the
Holocaust". I am expecting a slightly different feel in Nuremberg since it was "most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of Nazi Germany". Therefore, the Nuremberg trial were almost a sort of revenge for those who were affected by the Holocaust.
It is difficult to criticize a place where so much history took place. I have really enjoyed this first week here and have learned so much that I would have never learned from a textbook. being here has taught me that the textbook version is often skewed to make us think the opposite of what actually happened. It will definitely be interesting to see how Nuremberg has preserved the history that took place.
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