ABSTRACT
The architectural heritage is not only a testimony of history but also a mirror of our culture of remembrance today. This applies especially to the legacy of dictatorships. We are currently experiencing a shift in the culture of remembrance in Europe. Significant architectural evidence from the dictatorships of the first half of the 20th century is being re-evaluated, repurposed, and often redesigned. We also see that in the face of an upswing in nationalist movements, the legacy of dictatorships and even professional debates are being unexpectedly repoliticized. This introduction addresses various modes of interaction with testimonies of European dictatorships, which illustrate a wide thematic spectrum but which are characteristic of their respective countries. These are testimonies from Mussolini’s Italy, Hitler’s Germany, Stalin’s Soviet Union, Salazar’s Portugal, and Franco’s Spain. Linked to this is a plea for a Europeanization of the culture of remembrance. It presupposes, first of all, mutual acquaintance with the different local cultures of remembrance, not to level them out but to recognize and reflect on their national specificities in order to overcome national narrow-mindedness and enrich each individual culture. And in addition, this scholarship serves to guard against the renaissance of nationalist memory.
