Institutionalised amnesia? Exploring geographies of memory and the care of German graves in Central Europe: insights from the Czech Republic

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F44555601%3A13410%2F25%3A43899504" target="_blank" >RIV/44555601:13410/25:43899504 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10708-025-11282-z#citeas" target="_blank" >https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10708-025-11282-z#citeas</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10708-025-11282-z" target="_blank" >10.1007/s10708-025-11282-z</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Institutionalised amnesia? Exploring geographies of memory and the care of German graves in Central Europe: insights from the Czech Republic

Original language description

The care of German tombs and graves remains a sensitive and complex issue in Central Europe, particularly in the Czech Republic. This study adopts a historical-geographical approach to explore German cemeteries and graves as significant memory landscapes. Specifically, it investigates the current state of German cemeteries in the Czech Republic, identifies forms of devastation, and examines the tools available to burial ground operators for their maintenance. The theoretical framework draws upon the concepts of lieux de m &amp; eacute;moire (sites of memory) and a metaphorical understanding of memory landscapes. Empirically, the study involves on-site visits to cemeteries and the implementation of semi-structured interviews in three case study regions within the country. The findings contribute to a proposal for measures aimed at preserving and caring for abandoned German cemeteries, taking into account ongoing scholarly debates on the geography and politics of memory. Among the key recommendations is the establishment of a subsidy programme to support, even symbolically, the rehabilitation of graves of significant historical figures. Additionally, the development of a methodological guide is proposed to assist mayors and other burial ground operators in addressing practical challenges related to the care and restoration of these graves.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

50401 - Sociology

Project

—

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

GeoJournal

ISSN

0343-2521

e-ISSN

1572-9893

Volume of the periodical

90

Issue of the periodical within the volume

1

Country of publishing house

NL - THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS

Number of pages

14

Pages from-to

43

UT code for WoS article

001418230800002

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85218419875