International Workshop

Exploring local Jewish heritage in the Polish-German context. History and concepts for Jewish sites in Ziębice/Münsterberg German-Polish Interdisciplinary Student Workshop Workshop in Ziębice In March 2025, a student workshop focusing on the documentation and future handling of the former synagogue and Jewish cemetery in Ziębice, Lower Silesia, will be held. This on-site seminar will also include visits to Wrocław and Warsaw, including museum visits, lectures and discussions, to provide a broader contextual framework. Ziębice, a small town situated 60 kilometers south of Wrocław, has been part of Polish territory since 1945. Previously known as Münsterberg under German administration, the town retains significant traces of its pre-war heritage due to the post-World War II border shifts. Among its architectural and cultural remnants are elements of its German-Jewish past, including the 19th-century synagogue building, today vacant, and the Jewish cemetery. Additionally, numerous residential and public buildings from that era remain visible today, reflecting the town’s historical fabric. The interdisciplinary seminar will engage students from architecture, civil engineering, and Hebrew and Jewish studies in exploring Ziębice's German-Jewish heritage. Participants will investigate the historical significance of these sites and develop strategies for their preservation and revitalization. The seminar is organized as part of the DFG project “Appropriation and Revitalization. Negotiation Processes of German-Jewish Cultural Heritage in Poland” led by the German Historical Institute Warsaw, represented by Prof. Dr. Ruth Leiserowitz and Dr. Christhardt Henschel, and the Bet Tfila-Research Unit for Jewish Architecture in Europe of the Technische Universität Braunschweig, represented by PD Dr.-Ing. habil. Ulrich Knufinke, Zuzanna Światowy, Neele Menter. The workshop has been made possible through close collaboration with the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland (FODŻ), the local municipality of Ziębice, and local activists and researchers. The workshop is co-financed by the Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation.