In recent years, Dresden has seen various discussions about how to revitalize the old train station: Ideas included a Jewish museum, a memorial, a documentation center on the history of National Socialism in Dresden, a Jewish cultural and meeting center, and a place to showcase the history of transportation in Dresden. In order to provide an overview, we have compiled the developments here in chronological order and will add information from time to time.


2001

A memorial designed by the Jewish artist Marion Kahnemann to commemorate the deportation of Jews in Dresden was inaugurated at Dresden-Neustadt station on January 27. The memorial plaque is accessible from the station forecourt. The plaque also mentions the old Leipzig station, which is located behind the Neustadt station. At the time of installation, it was still being used as a freight yard. It was finally closed in 2005, and the site was left derelict.

A bronze plaque designed by the artist Marion Kahnemann on a stone wall of the station building at Dresden-Neustadt, commemorating the deportation of people to Auschwitz during the Second World War, with flower arrangements on the ground. A Star of David is embedded in the ground in front of it.
© CC BY-SA 3.0, Paulae

2012

In November, the Globus-group unveiles its plans to build a massive 12,000-square-meter shopping center on the site of the former freight yard, which includes the historic Leipzig train station. Although the city council narrowly approves the development plan for Globus, many residents are fighting the project by forming citizens’ initiatives. The deportations that took place here are not subject of the discussion yet.

2013

The first association to campaign for the establishment of a Jewish museum in Dresden is founded. The association is active until around 2015, but does not appear in public.


2014

In the course of the discussion about the area around the train station, the idea of relocating the Dresdner Verkehrsmuseums (Dresden Transport Museum) is discussed. At that time, the museum only has a lease until 2025 at its current location in the Johanneum. However, the idea is rejected.

In June, the Dresden City Council approves the new cultural remembrance concept “Erinnerung vielfältig gestalten” (Shaping Remembrance in a Variety of Ways). This concept refers to the train station as a place of deportation.


2017-
2020

The establishment of a Jewish museum is discussed rather sporadically. The Railway Station is mentioned, but there are also strong voices in favor of the Palais Oppenheim, whose reconstruction had actually been approved in 2018. The reconstruction plans finally fail in May 2022.

Regarding the area of the former train station, however, the protest of the residents is having an effect: After many discussions, Globus agrees to a land swap with the city of Dresden. The city of Dresden decides to develop the area of the former train station to become a residential and cultural district, while the new Globus store is likely to be built in Friedrichstadt on the other side of the Elbe.


2021
April

On April 22, 2021, the Dresden City Council decides to support a possible initiative to establish a Jewish Museum in Saxony with a location in Dresden on the basis of a motion by all democratic fractions. This is not only caused by the previous discussions; the celebration of 1700 years of Jewish life in Germany play an important role. Agnes von Scharnetzky (B90/The Greens) justifies the motion.

October

In order to advance the public debate on the purpose and direction of a possible Jewish Museum in Dresden, the Dresden City Museum is opening a debate forum in the form of an online blog. Over a period of 15 months, it will bring together the positions of experts, scientists and representatives of civil society. A summary of the debate, moderated by the historian Daniel Ristau, has been published.


2022
January

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the first deportation transport of Jews in Dresden on January 21, 1942, the alliance Herz statt Hetze (heart not hate) organizes a memorial event. Survivors of the Shoah are calling for the establishment of a memorial.

On this occasion, the artist David Adam is attaching three enamel signs that ask “When”, “How many” and “Where to”. The memorial installation is accompanied by a website that contains a comprehensive collection of material on the historical site and the deportations.

A dilapidated building of the former Leipzig station in Dresden, featuring three arches with signs above them asking "When," "How many," and "Where to." The area is fenced off.
The memorial installation by David Adam. © David Adam

February

The City of Dresden launches a competition entitled “Gedenkareal Dresdner Norden” (Dresden North Memorial Area) inviting submissions of design concepts that visualize the connecting lines between historical sites of Nazi crimes in the districts of Pieschen, Klotzsche, and Trachenberge. These include the former facories of the Zeiss Ikon AG (the so-called Göhlewerke; today home of the Kultur- und Wohnprojekt Zentralwerk among others) in Pieschen, the former Hellerberge Jewish camp, and the old Leipzig train station, which was a transportation hub for the war economy and a place of deportation. The competition is intended to create a “space of possibilities” for “how to deal with the material and immaterial legacies of the Nazi past in the future”.

The winner of the competition is a design by the architects Wandel Lorch Götze Wach GmbH, who also designed the New Synagogue in Dresden.

The poster shows a design for the “Dresden North Memorial Area”. On the left, there is an exterior view of a historic building with a modern extension, while on the right, a building cross-section and a site map are shown.
Excerpt from the winning design for the “Gedenkarial Dresdner Norden” ideas competition © dresden.de

March

The municipal company Sachsen Energies presents an initial feasibility study on the renovation of the former reception building of the former train station. The study includes three options for the renovation and restoration of the building complex. The investment costs are between 9 million and 15 million euros.

The Dresden Office for Culture and Monument Protection organizes a panel discussion entitled “Presenting Jewish Life. The Discussion on a Jewish Museum in Saxony”.

April

Our initiative is founded in response to the memorial event held in January.

May

The city of Dresden is conducting an extensive digital survey about the possible Jewish Museum. The results are presented to the Dresden city council.

As an alternative to the museum concept, the establishment of a “Jewish Cultural and Meeting Center” is being discussed. Three workshops are held for this purpose until July 2022. The results can be found under the following links (in German):

June

The Institute for Spatial Resilience is setting up a temporary memorial in front of the ruins of the station building and is seeking to initiate a discussion about the possibilities and forms of commemoration.

A memorial installation made of wooden frames, set up in front of an old building. A person is working on the construction in the foreground. The construction is graphically stylized. Above it are several sentences that question the meaning and purpose of commemoration. In the upper right corner is the logo of the “Institute for Spatial Resilience”, whose lettering is displayed on a white square.
Flyer of the Institute for Spatial Resilience for the opening. © Institut für räumliche Resilienz

November

On November 9, 2022, the association Hatikva e. V., together with the Landesverband Sachsen der Jüdischen Gemeinden (Saxon Association of Jewish Communities), the “Gedenkbuch”-archive und the Audioscript project group, is setting up a temporary documentation center in the memorial installation. They demand a place to collect, research and mediate on the period of National Socialism in Dresden. To this end, they are in close contact with the descendants of surviving Dresden Jews.

A provisional office for a documentation room with a laptop, office chair and documents attached to two posts in the foreground. In the background, a tarp is attached to show a large file folder shelf.
A look inside the temporary documentation center. © Gabriele Atanassow

2023
March


In its plenary session on March 23, 2023, the Dresden City Council decides to adress the development of a memorial site to commemorate the Shoah with a mediation and meeting center. The resolution includes a mandate to the city administration to initiate the purchase or lease of the site from the current owner, the Globus Group, and to present a concept for its usage and operation. The establishment of an NS documentation center is also to be examined.

May

The Dresden Transport Museum is commissioned to develop a first concept. The museum presents a concept study entitled “Bahnhof der Erinnerung” (Station of Remembrance), which proposes an “experience and adventure space” at the historic site. The concept focuses on the industrial and cultural significance of the former train station as the terminal station of the first long-distance railway line in the German-speaking world, from Leipzig to Dresden. The commemoration of the deportations is placed in the context of “war and destruction” and the refuggee movements in its aftermath, thus diminishing the Shoah as a crime against humanity.

June

We start a series of events at the former train station under the title “REMEMBER – EDUCATE – MEET” by organizing a film screening, a panel discussion, and a literary-musical evening about the book burnings of 1933. Additionally, we hold three meetings on self-image and profile development of our group, leading to a first conceptual sketch for the future establishment of a memorial and an initiative space for Jewish life.

The stage set for the musical reading of “The Immortality of Stones” shows a woman sitting on a chair, observing a man who is talking at a table. In front of her are several old suitcases piled up.
Julia Boegershausen, together with Felix Pankonin, in front of the old Leipzig train station on October 5, 2023 | © RAA Bündnis gegen Antisemitismus Dresden und Ostsachsen

November

On November 23, 2023, thirteen members of our group officially establish the association Gedenkort Alter Leipziger Bahnhof e.V. The association is recognized as a non-profit organization and is intended to support the activities of the association, especially in the acquisition of funding and donations.

2024
February


The Office for Culture and Monument Protection of the City of Dresden announces a call for tenders regarding the development of a concept for the operation and usage of the former train station. Our association also applies and wins with its concept.

July

We start with the work on the conception.


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