The historical museum

The art to show the absent past

Abstract

This article puts the question whether historical events or history as such can be shown in a museum, i. e. can be reconstructed in a visualized way. The author denies the possibility of doing so in a straightforward way, claiming that one cannot portray the past, because the character of the exhibited sources itself is an image of the past. There is just a possibility to present allegories of the past. In order to express what cannot be said artificial and/or artistic comprehension can be used. This is particularly suggested in dealing with genozide, war and terror. The author mentions evidence mainly from German museums. He refers to the debate on the "German Historical Museum" and describes examples of museums and memorials about German contemporary history situated in the Federal Republic and the former GDR. Especially memorials in former Nazi concentration camps are dealt with and analysed.