National Socialism remembrance and resistance studies

Efforts to preserve and examine the history of National Socialism are being conducted through various commemorative methods in Austria, Germany, and Poland.

In Austria, academic research highlights the importance of memorial trails, such as the ‘Audioweg Gusen’, ‘Erinnerungsweg Rechnitz’, and ‘Themenweg Krems’. These trails use physical movement and specific locations to facilitate public engagement with history as the era of contemporary witnesses ends.

In Berlin, the Memorial to the German Resistance is hosting an exhibition titled ‘... dieser Feind steht rechts! Der Kampf gegen den Nationalsozialismus vor 1933’. Running until August 23, 2026, the exhibition uses 27 biographies to explore political and social resistance during the Weimar Republic. It aims to show that the era was not a ‘democracy without democrats’ by highlighting those who defended fundamental rights against antisemitic and right-wing extremist threats.

Educational initiatives are also expanding these remembrance efforts. Students from St. Ursula-Gymnasium recently participated in excursions to memorial sites near Danzig, Poland, including the Westerplatte peninsula, the Museum of the Second World War, the Stutthof memorial site, and mass graves at Szpęgawski.

In Regensburg, authorities are establishing a new memorial culture to mark the 70th anniversary of the city’s liberation. Following the deaths of the last survivors from the Colosseum concentration camp subcamp, the city is transitioning from eyewitness-based remembrance to a structured cultural memorial designed to ensure historical facts remain part of education for future generations and immigrants.