A Commissioned Reflection: A Project on the Myth of the Iskra Memorial in Leipzig

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World history or propaganda – a mystery surrounding the myth of the Iskra Memorial? Last year, the City History Museum’s audio project ‘Bestellte Erinnerung’ (Commissioned Memory) undertook a critical examination of the memorial’s history. The findings will be presented on Tuesday, 1 September, at 6 pm in the Grüner Salon of Leipzig’s Old Town Hall in the form of audio pieces, a lecture and a discussion. Admission is free.

Who decides what – and whom – is commemorated? What happens to the stories of those who stand in the way of political narratives? And what happens when memory becomes more important than historical evidence? The focus is on the former Iskra Memorial in Leipzig-Probstheida, which belonged to the Leipzig Museum of City History as a branch from 1961 to 1991.

The audio piece reconstructs its origins in the 1950s, questions the printing of the first issue of the Russian exile newspaper ‘Iskra’ in Leipzig – a fact that remains unconfirmed to this day – and, at the same time, tells the story of the Niegel family, who had to give up their house and workshop to make way for the construction of the memorial. Taking this individual story as its starting point, the focus turns to the Stalinist-influenced early years of the GDR and explores the consequences of political memory for those affected.

Radio play and website

After more than a year of intensive research, the audio project *Bestellte Erinnerung* (Commissioned Memory), developed by theatre maker and artist Diana Wesser in collaboration with David Schönherr, is being presented to the public. In collaboration with the Leipzig Museum of City History, it combines extensive archival research with interviews with members of the Niegel family and representatives of the Union of Victims’ Associations of Communist Tyranny (UOKG).

In doing so, the radio play raises broader questions: How is memory formed? Who decides which history is told – and which is forgotten? What role did the figure of Lenin play in the GDR’s official historical narrative? And how can we deal today with places whose historical significance is closely linked to political narratives?

The event

At the event, Diana Wesser and David Schönherr will present the completed audio piece and the accompanying project website. Dr Johanna Sänger (curator at the Leipzig City History Museum) will provide insights into the academic support for the project. Falk Elstermann (Managing Director of the Leipzig Cultural Foundation) will report on his research in the Saxon State Archives and the City of Leipzig’s building records archive, as well as on how the project will be made accessible directly at the historical site in future.

The project was funded by the City of Leipzig’s Cultural Office and realised with the kind support of the Saxon State Commissioner for the reappraisal of the SED dictatorship.

“Commissioned Memory. On the Iskra Memorial’, audio project presentation & panel discussion & lecture, Tuesday 1 September, 6.00 pm (doors open at 5.30 pm), Leipzig Museum of City History, Old Town Hall, Grüner Salon, Markt 1. Admission: free. Registration requested at stadtmuseum@leipzig.de or by telephone on (0341) 9651340.