Guest: Dr. Corinna Kuhr-Korolev;
Host: Prof. Violeta Davoliūtė.

In this episode, Prof. Violeta Davoliūtė speaks with Dr. Corinna Kuhr-Korolev, historian and curator at the Leibniz Centre for Contemporary History Potsdam. Their conversation explores the role of cemeteries as sites of memory and education, focusing on the German War Cemetery in Kaunas.

They discuss the challenges and ethical dilemmas of curating exhibitions on such sensitive locations, given their complex and controversial legacies. The talk also delves into the difficulties of representing the socialist past in Germany and the Soviet era in Lithuania, questioning whether current exhibitions and other public history initiatives are able to get to the core of those historical experiences. The researchers also touch on contemporary German politics, including shifting perspectives on migration and right-wing populism, against the background of the elections coming up on February 23.

Learn more:

• German War Graves Commission project: https://www.volksbund.de
• Exhibition The Sweet Life (of the Nomenklatura) | House of Histories: https://lnm.lt/en/events/the-sweet-life-of-the-nomenklatura/ 

In the EUROPAST Podcast, we explore Europe's most pressing challenges of public history. We investigate the complex and contested spaces of public memory, memory activism and best practices for engaging the public in a dialogue about the past.

The podcast series is part of a project that has received funding from the European Union under the WIDERA programme (EUROPAST project, Grant Agreement No. 101079466).

More: www.europast.vu.lt

Music: Istok Zapad, Whiteheads. ℗ Croatia Records, 2021.