Holocaust Monuments and Memorials in Central Europe

Holocaust monuments in Central Europe, especially in today’s Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Germany, have received surprisingly little academic attention. Yet these sites of memory offer deep insight into the individual, collective and cultural memory of the tragedy of the Holocaust.

The first Holocaust monuments were created shortly after the end of the Second World War. At first, they were monuments and memorials commemorating Jewish victims, but later, stone reminders of the Roma victims of the Holocaust were added. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, a second wave of Holocaust monuments and memorials took place in Central Europe, continuing to this day. The aim of this publication is to present both the historical and artistic circumstances of the creation of these Holocaust monuments and memorials, as well as their subsequent reception. In a broader social and cultural context, the emphasis is placed on the formation of Jewish and Roma identity in Central Europe.