Identity building after the rupture. Post-war memorials in Central and Eastern Europe
Following the First World War, a significant number of conspicuous monuments and memorials were put up in Central and Eastern Europe. More than just an attempt to come to terms with the trauma of the war, they were also a method of nation- and state-building. Consequently, it was associated with the revival or invention of traditions in order to stabilise the societies in the newly founded, re-founded or reshaped states.
The First World War was followed by the construction of mass number of monuments and memorials. In Central and Eastern Europe, however, the erection of new monuments was first preceded by the destruction of existing ones. In countries which had gained or regained their independence, symbols of the former regimes were removed from public view as they were associated with foreign rule and oppression.
The First World War was followed by the construction of mass number of monuments and memorials. In Central and Eastern Europe, however, the erection of new monuments was first preceded by the destruction of existing ones. In countries which had gained or regained their independence, symbols of the former regimes were removed from public view as they were associated with foreign rule and oppression.
November 5, 2018 -
Arnold Bartetzky
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Issue 6 2018MagazineStories and ideas
The massive Mărăşeşti Mausoleum commemorating war victims in Romania. The memorial project, which had been initiated in 1919 by the National Orthodox Society of Romanian Women, took almost two decades to complete. Photo: Andrei Stroe (CC) commons.wikimedia.org
