Contemporary History in Relation to Memory, Museums and Memorial Sites Internationally - Past, Present and Future La historia contemporánea en relación con la memoria, los museos y los espacios de memoria Internacionales - pasado, presente y futuro Hildegard K. VIEREGG Museum Studies. Hochschule für Philosophie Munich/Germany. Kaulbachtr. 31a 80539. München [email protected] Recibido: 30-08-2014 Aceptado: 3-10-2014 ABSTRACT The article examines conceptions of Memorials, Memorial Sites and Museums on an international level. It starts with the Terminology of Contemporary History as a term that has developed and broadened since the 1950s. Contemporary His- tory influences also the field of the Fine Arts. Memorials or Memorial Sites at authentic places are of great importance for consciousness-raising. In combination with Museums they have the possibility to collect diverse objects such as written sources, artefacts, photos, and records of oral history as testimonies of former events. Concerning Museums, this is particu- larly reflected in conceptions of Museums to War and Peace, Memorial Museums on Genocide, and Museums of Resistance Movements. A particular artefact of the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, is the Karyatide of the famous German art- ist Fritz Koenig, now placed in Battery Park, in the south of Manhattan. Finally, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum are explained with their architecture, the idea of “Reflecting Absence” and the Memorial Mission for the future. KEY WORDS: Authentic Sites. Contemporary History. Memorial Museums. Memorial Sites. Museum Conceptions. Resis- tance Movement. Tolerance. RESUMEN El artículo examina los conceptos de Monumentos, Sitios y Museos conmemorativos a nivel internacional. Se comienza con la terminología de historia contemporánea como un término que se desarrolló y amplió desde 1950. La historia contemporánea influye también en el campo de las Bellas Artes. Los monumentos conmemorativos o sitios de la me- moria en lugares auténticos son de gran importancia para la concienciación. En combinación con los museos tienen la posibilidad de recoger diversos objetos como fuentes escritas, artefactos, fotografías y registros de la historia oral como testimonios de los antiguos acontecimientos. En cuanto a los museos, esto se refleja particularmente en las con- cepciones de los museos para la Guerra y la Paz, los museos de la Memoria sobre el Genocidio, y los museos de Mov- imientos de Resistencia. Un artefacto particular del ataque terrorista del 11 de septiembre de 2001 es la Karyatide del famoso artista alemán Fritz Koenig, ahora colocado en el Battery Park al sur de Manhattan. Por último, el Memorial y Museo Nacional 11 de Septiembre se explica junto con su arquitectura, la idea de “Ausencia Reflexionada” y la Misión de la Memoria para el futuro. PALABRAS CLAVE: Sitios Auténticos. Historia Contemporánea. Museos de la Memoria. Sitios de la Memoria. Concep- ciones del Museo. Movimiento de la Resistencia. Tolerancia Complutum, 2015, Vol. 26 (2): 89-99 89 ISSN: 1131-6993 http://dx.doi.org/10.5209/rev_CMPL.2015.v26.n2.50420 Hildegard K. Vieregg Contemporary History in Relation to Memory, Museums and Memorial Sites... In his horrific novel “The Gulag Archipelogo”, both a subject in change and progress. Rothfels the distinguished Nobel Prize winner, Alexander reflected “Contemporary History” from his own Solschenitzyn (1918-2008), describes the life of view back to the First World War (1914-1918). In the inmates of the Gulag labor camps under the a similar way our approach to Contemporary His- totalitarian regime of the former Soviet Union. tory is usually connected with Hitler’s Totalitarian He deals with the worst period of the reign of State (1933-1945), political events, persecutions terror under Stalin from 1934 to c. 1938 and of groups of population, particularly Jewish Peo- up to 1954 when acts of intimidation, appalling ple, and resistance to the Totalitarian Regime of violence and the pressure of political prisoners National Socialism. It is also associated to works were the norm. The question has now arisen as to of art which came into existence in this period of whether the former Gulag camps should be oblit- time - or afterwards as memorials reflecting the erated from the face of the earth and their history past as signs and symbols which are reminders forgotten, or whether they should be preserved as to be aware of political events in future. Howev- Memorial Sites. er, the term Contemporary History is nowadays Solschenizyn influenced in this concern Con- permanently used and not only restricted to the temporary History as the moral and political con- history of National Socialism. [URL:http://www. science of Russia because he didn’t only relate museum-joanneum.at/de/museumsakademie/ve- to the past but much more he was also a “Proph- ranstaltungen/gegenwart 17/06/2014]. et of History” (www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton The term “Contemporary History” has to be 31.03.2014). thought over from time to time. It is now linked Several middle European countries had sim- to Museology, Museums, the Science of Muse- ilar problems in the nineteen sixties concerning ums or the Museum Studies in general- for each former NS-concentration camps. Most of them period of history. There is an important indica- decided to preserve the authentic sites as memo- tion in the statutes of the International Council of rials. Although history is usually presented in a Museums that relates to “... ethnographic mon- way that people can be proud on their culture, uments and historical monuments and sites of a in this case museums, Memorial Sites and doc- museum nature that acquire, conserve and com- umentation centers are like symbols for a “neg- municate material evidence of people and their ative” history. Nevertheless, also this heritage of environment” (International Council of Muse- the 20th century has to be preserved and used as ums (ICOM) 1990: 3). an input for educational issues and conscious- The museums, documentation centres and ness-raising (Vieregg 2000: 115). In this concern sites are in this concern considered as a mirror of also recently developed Museums for Contem- the interpretation of the history. porary History, Memorials and Memorial Sites The innovative Memorandum of Deutsche should be considered. Forschungsgemeinschaft (1974) influenced the I shall be dealing with the following aspects: development to future research and the signif- icant changes of museums from a traditional 1. The Terminology of Contemporary His- “Temple of the Muses” to an institution on the tory one hand keeping the humanitarian, cultural and 2. The Importance of Authentic Sites political memory and on the other hand consid- 3. Museums with Regard to War and Peace ering the needs of people on education in present 4. Memorial Museums on Genocide times (Spickernagel & Walbe, 1976, Rojas, Ro- 5. Museums on Resistance Movement berto/Crespán, José Luis et al 1977). against the Totalitarian Regime of National Additionally, the typology of Museums was Socialism enlarged to manifold branches as museums of 6. A Relic of the Terror Attack and the Na- Contemporary History, Memorial Sites and Me- tional 11 September Memorial morial Museums. What is a Museum of Contemporary History? 1. The Terminology of Contemporary History Nowadays, Museums of Contemporary History 1953 “Contemporary History” was introduced are particularly related to the various facets of as a specific term by the German Historian Hans the history of 20th Century. Those are Museums Rothfels (1891-1976). It is until now used as on the History of the Wars and the History of To- Complutum, 2015, Vol. 26 (2): 89-99 90 Contemporary History in Relation to Memory, Museums and Memorial Sites... Hildegard K. Vieregg talitarian States. There are also Memorial Sites arises mostly from a historical and philosophical on former NS-Concentration Camps in European background: Already the philosopher Immanuel Countries and Memorials to other political events. Kant (1724-1804) emphasized on that the worst And now, as we can consider e.g. on Museum and saddest events of history may become per- Brandhorst in Munich/Germany we include also formed in an aesthetic way by artists (Lissmann Museums of other type, as e.g. Art History into 1999: 27). This is an important point concerning Contemporary History – or may be Ethnology like the works of art, the documentation of history, Musée de Quai Branly/Paris (its “predecessor” the Museums and Memorial Sites (Fig. 1). was “Musée de l’Homme”). 2013 this museum Friedrich Wilhelm Hegel (1770-1831), anoth- reacted on the demands of the ethnical group of er philosopher of the era of “Idealism”, and a pro- Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, to fessor at the Universities of Jena and from 1818 return human remains. Herewith it gave an ex- at Berlin/Germany, published already in the year ample and influenced the consciousness of muse- 1802 the famous work “Faith and Knowledge” um-curators and the visitors. that is representative of the “Reflections-Phi- When we talk about Contemporary Histo- losophy” related to Museology and Philosophy. ry there are many sites, museums and memori- His approaches to the museums are particularly als of different kind and typology all over the involved in his lectures about the “Aesthetics” World -as e.g. the “National Memorial of the 11th given in the period from 1817 to 1829 where he of September 2001” in New York/USA- one of focused on the arts as an important articulation. the youngest, opened in May 2014. Contempo- His starting point of thought was to comprehend rary History has above that another aspect. This an object on the way that all of its perspectives means the influences of events of the day as for should become known by performing. Insofar he example to the field of the Arts in general, finally was of great influence on the theory of the arts presented on a museological basis.