by Sybille Frank, Georg Krajewsky and Jochen Schwenk
This entry explores the complex layers of heritage and memory in cities, using Berlin as a prime example. It discusses how cities function as “storage memory,” preserving knowledge that can both stabilize and challenge the present. The entry delves into the conflicts surrounding heritage, particularly in a formerly divided capital city like Berlin, where heritage-making is contested and reflects the clash of conflicting political, economic, social, and cultural interests. The entry highlights three areas of conflict in the field of heritage politics in Berlin since the fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification in 1990: the redevelopment of Potsdamer Platz and Checkpoint Charlie, the commemoration of National Socialist crimes and the Holocaust, and the long-neglected colonial heritage of the German capital. These conflicts illustrate competing attempts to create meaningful references to Berlin’s complex past and the plurality of actors involved in the process of heritage-making in the city. The entry provides a detailed analysis of these conflicts, offering insights into the role of heritage in shaping the symbolic landscape of the city and the different local, national, and global identities postulated by diverse public and private heritage actors. The authors argue that the competing interests and the overlapping layers of the—often dark—urban heritage of the city make any form of coherent heritage politics in Berlin difficult.
English
Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
1st edition, 2025
Entry in: Saloul, I., Baillie, B. (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Cultural Heritage and Conflict. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61493-5_60-1
ISBN978-3-030-61493-5