Contemporary History in Relation to Memory, Museums and Memorial Sites Internationally - Past, Present and Future

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 History 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 particularly 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 artist 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.