A Contested Latecomer: The Munich Documentation Center for the History of National Socialism

Abstract:This article traces the debates surrounding the conception of the Documentation Center for the History of National Socialism in Munich in order to understand why it took the city whose history is so deeply intertwined with National Socialism so long to acknowledge its dark past. It investigates whether the final conception of this unusual museum is the expression of a new transnational trend that provided new perspectives on memorialization. It argues that the museum actively attempts to create an arena for public engagement with the past by encouraging visitors to take responsibility for their own interpretation of history based on the material presented.