Building Bridges—The Estates of Eyewitnesses as Cross-Generational Memory in the European Context

The estates of Nazi victims are more than silent witnesses to the past: they are bridges between generations that keep stories, experiences, and values alive. Letters, diaries, photo albums, personal collections, and mementos reflect not only suffering but also resistance, courage, and human decisions made in extreme situations.

When eyewitnesses pass on their legacies, they create points of connection for younger generations to make history tangible and relevant. Yet legacies are not static archives but living memory: they require interpretation, contextualization, and responsible handling so that interpretation does not become romanticization.

The Future Workshop “Building Bridges—Legacies of Eyewitnesses as Intergenerational Memory,” featuring German and Hungarian experts, invites participants to discuss forms of documentation, provenance, accessibility, and ethical issues. Which stories should be preserved, who has access, how can archival work promote empathy, critical historical evaluation, and responsibility, and how can estates be utilized across borders?

As part of an accompanying workshop, we will provide participants with the basics for getting started with research and source analysis.

Date:
Thursday, September 3, 2026
Workshop: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Future Workshop: 2:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Location:
Reinhardtstraßenhöfe
Reinhardtstraße 14
10117 Berlin

Registration:
by August 27, 2026 at
https://www.hrzte2030.de/veranstaltungen/nachlaesse/

Download Program (German)