Das Völkerschlachtdenkmal als Leipziger Wahrzeichen, Touristenattraktion und erinnerungskulturelle Landmarke | Kolleg

In the organizer's words:

The Battle of the Nations Monument is Europe's largest monument and the landmark of the city and region of Leipzig. Inaugurated in 1913 to mark the centenary of the Battle of the Nations, it not only commemorated the Napoleonic era and the Wars of Liberation of 1813-1815, but also stood for national mobilization on the eve of the First World War and was repeatedly misused for propaganda purposes during the dictatorships of the 20th century and by nationalist extremists. Following a pioneering decision by the city council and with considerable civic commitment, the colossus was renovated and modernized in the 1980s and now serves as an anchor point of democratic remembrance of war and liberation in Leipzig's history.

The lecture by Dr. Anselm Hartinger traces the eventful history of the Monument to the Battle of the Nations between national instrumentalization and abuse and shows how it is repositioned today as a democratic place of remembrance.