Challenges of Patrimonialization in Post-Socialist Eastern Germany

The post-socialist transformation of Eastern Germany, following the dissolution of the German Democratic Republic in 1990, can be seen as a crisis accompanied, for many, by a sense of societal and personal disorientation. Cultural heritage has played an important role in the German reunification process and in coming to terms with personal and public recollections of socialism. The text analyzes three issues arising within this patrimonialization process. Firstly, it explores the museological challenge of presenting GDR history at heritage sites that saw different uses during the socialist era. Secondly, it addresses the communicational challenge of engaging diverse communities with their respective memory cultures. Lastly, it highlights the urban planning challenge of managing GDR heritage in public spaces. The paper emphasizes the need for an inclusive and democratic patrimonialization process accommodating diverse cultures of remembrance.