Building on the exploration of ten Sites of German Memory 1, this course will introduce and discuss ten further locations, concepts and people that enjoy a special significance in the Germany’s collective memory.
Learning modes and locations may be different depending on the course start date. Please check the location of your chosen course and read our guide to learning modes and locations to help you choose the right course for you.
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
“Sites of memory” can be places and buildings, but also objects, social practices or a individual’s name. Their meaning and the associations attached to them are never fixed, often contested and always liable to evolve. Memory is not the same as history, and the tensions and contradictions between the two will be at the centre of this course which offers an unusual, diverse and fascinating approach to the study of the German past.
What will we cover?
Each session will explore a different Site of Memory and the changing, ambiguous or controversial meanings associated with them:
Bismarck (the man and the myth)
The Hanseatic League (a transnational medieval trading network)
Bonn (Beethoven’s birthplace and seat of the West German government)
Zollverein Coal Mine (the Ruhr region’s industrial legacy)
Emigration (the German diaspora in Europe and beyond)
The Berlin Wall (presence and absence)
Brown Houses (Nazi architecture in Munich and elsewhere)
Leipzig (commercial, academic and musical hub with a battlefield attached)
The Holocaust Memorial
“Kleinstaaterei” (identity and legacy of minor German territories)
What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...
Understand better and appreciate the varied and complex legacy of the German past as exemplified by the selected case studies.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
The course is suitable for everyone with an interest in German history and culture. No German reading skills or special background knowledge are required. An open mind and willingness to participate, respectfully, in class discussion and debate.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
The Interactive lectures will be supported by written sources, images and videos. It is up to students how much use they want to make in their own time of the material provided.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
There are no additional costs, and students needn’t bring anything with them apart from an open mind and a readiness to learn.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Other courses in German and European history. Please see the City Lit website.
Dr. Rudolf Muhs, Emeritus Reader in Modern European History at Royal Holloway, University of London, studied at the universities of Freiburg and Edinburgh and has been teaching German history in England since 1987.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
product
https://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/history-culture-and-writing/german-history-sites-of-memory-ii345050German History: Sites of Memory IIhttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/category/europe-1848-HEH115-1024.jpg259259GBPInStock/Courses/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/History/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/History/European history22851177117811821228511771178<p>Building on the exploration of ten Sites of German Memory 1, this course will introduce and discuss ten further locations, concepts and people that enjoy a special significance in the Germany’s collective memory.</p><p> </p>002816397German History: Sites of Memory II259259https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/category/europe-1848-HEH115-1024.jpgInStockDaytimeFriKeeley StreetAvailable courses5-10 weeksWeekday2026-05-01T00:00:00+00:00May 2026Culture, history & humanitiesHEH122259259German History: Sites of Memory II207168259Rudolf Muhsgerman-history-sites-of-memory-ii/heh122-2526<p>Building on the exploration of ten Sites of German Memory 1, this course will introduce and discuss ten further locations, concepts and people that enjoy a special significance in the Germany’s collective memory.</p><p> </p>0000-Available|2026-05-01 00:00:00<p>“Sites of memory” can be places and buildings, but also objects, social practices or a individual’s name. Their meaning and the associations attached to them are never fixed, often contested and always liable to evolve. Memory is not the same as history, and the tensions and contradictions between the two will be at the centre of this course which offers an unusual, diverse and fascinating approach to the study of the German past. </p><p> </p><p>Building on the exploration of ten Sites of German Memory 1, this course will introduce and discuss ten further locations, concepts and people that enjoy a special significance in the Germany’s collective memory.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Each session will explore a different Site of Memory and the changing, ambiguous or controversial meanings associated with them:</p><ul><li><strong>Bismarck </strong>(the man and the myth)</li><li><strong>The Hanseatic League </strong>(a transnational medieval trading network)</li><li><strong>Bonn</strong> (Beethoven’s birthplace and seat of the West German government) </li><li><strong>Zollverein Coal Mine</strong> (the Ruhr region’s industrial legacy) </li><li><strong>Emigration </strong>(the German diaspora in Europe and beyond)</li><li><strong>The Berlin Wall</strong> (presence and absence)</li><li><strong>Brown Houses </strong>(Nazi architecture in Munich and elsewhere)</li><li><strong>Leipzig </strong>(commercial, academic and musical hub with a battlefield attached)</li><li><strong>The Holocaust Memorial </strong></li><li><strong>“Kleinstaaterei”</strong> (identity and legacy of minor German territories)</li></ul><p> </p><p>Understand better and appreciate the varied and complex legacy of the German past as exemplified by the selected case studies. </p><p>The course is suitable for everyone with an interest in German history and culture. No German reading skills or special background knowledge are required. An open mind and willingness to participate, respectfully, in class discussion and debate. </p><p> </p><p>The Interactive lectures will be supported by written sources, images and videos. It is up to students how much use they want to make in their own time of the material provided.</p><p> </p><p>There are no additional costs, and students needn’t bring anything with them apart from an open mind and a readiness to learn.</p><p>Other courses in German and European history. Please see the City Lit website. </p>HistoryEuropean historyvirtual207259168HEH122NONEFri01/05/26 - 10/07/2612:45 - 14:4512:4514:4510 sessions (over 11 weeks)105-10 weeksDaytimeWeekdayKSKeeley StreetRudolf MuhsAvailable courses2026-05-01T00:00:00+00:00May 2026Culture, history & humanities259259German History: Sites of Memory IIgerman-history-sites-of-memory-ii/heh122-2526<p>Building on the exploration of ten Sites of German Memory 1, this course will introduce and discuss ten further locations, concepts and people that enjoy a special significance in the Germany’s collective memory.</p><p> </p>0000-Available|2026-05-01 00:00:00<p>“Sites of memory” can be places and buildings, but also objects, social practices or a individual’s name. Their meaning and the associations attached to them are never fixed, often contested and always liable to evolve. Memory is not the same as history, and the tensions and contradictions between the two will be at the centre of this course which offers an unusual, diverse and fascinating approach to the study of the German past. </p><p> </p><p>Building on the exploration of ten Sites of German Memory 1, this course will introduce and discuss ten further locations, concepts and people that enjoy a special significance in the Germany’s collective memory.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Each session will explore a different Site of Memory and the changing, ambiguous or controversial meanings associated with them:</p><ul><li><strong>Bismarck </strong>(the man and the myth)</li><li><strong>The Hanseatic League </strong>(a transnational medieval trading network)</li><li><strong>Bonn</strong> (Beethoven’s birthplace and seat of the West German government) </li><li><strong>Zollverein Coal Mine</strong> (the Ruhr region’s industrial legacy) </li><li><strong>Emigration </strong>(the German diaspora in Europe and beyond)</li><li><strong>The Berlin Wall</strong> (presence and absence)</li><li><strong>Brown Houses </strong>(Nazi architecture in Munich and elsewhere)</li><li><strong>Leipzig </strong>(commercial, academic and musical hub with a battlefield attached)</li><li><strong>The Holocaust Memorial </strong></li><li><strong>“Kleinstaaterei”</strong> (identity and legacy of minor German territories)</li></ul><p> </p><p>Understand better and appreciate the varied and complex legacy of the German past as exemplified by the selected case studies. </p><p>The course is suitable for everyone with an interest in German history and culture. No German reading skills or special background knowledge are required. An open mind and willingness to participate, respectfully, in class discussion and debate. </p><p> </p><p>The Interactive lectures will be supported by written sources, images and videos. It is up to students how much use they want to make in their own time of the material provided.</p><p> </p><p>There are no additional costs, and students needn’t bring anything with them apart from an open mind and a readiness to learn.</p><p>Other courses in German and European history. Please see the City Lit website. </p>HistoryEuropean historyconfigurable
11821178European historyhttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities/history/european-history1/2/285/1177/1178/11821/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/History/European history
