The German Federal Agency for Civic Education and the Genshagen Foundation are jointly organising the Summer Academy “Memories of Landscape. On Traces of Violence in Nature” for young professionals aged 25 to 35 from Croatia, France, Germany, Poland, Ukraine and the Western Balkan countries, which will take place from 2-5 September 2025 at Genshagen Castle (near Berlin). The Summer Academy addresses the question of how landscapes become memory spaces of human violence – and how we deal today with these silent, often overlooked archives. 

2-5 September 2025 at Genshagen Castle Application deadline: 1 July 2025 

About the Summer Academy

The German Federal Agency for Civic Education and the Genshagen Foundation are jointly organising the Summer Academy “Memories of Landscape. On Traces of Violence in Nature” for young professionals from Croatia, France, Germany, Poland, Ukraine and the Western Balkan countries, which will take place from 2-5 September 2025 at Genshagen Castle (near Berlin).

The Summer Academy addresses the question of how landscapes become memory spaces of human violence – and how we deal today with these silent, often overlooked archives. Destroyed buildings, ruins of bunkers, old military paths, devastated soils, rivers and forests, in which traces of war crimes and crimes against humanity are inscribed, tell of profound wounds and collective traumas. The Summer Academy understands landscape not only as a scenery of past violence, but as an active carrier of memories, as a warning witness, as a source of questions about responsibility, grief, authorship – and hope. How do societies deal with such traces and the historical events they refer to? How do art, science, education and civic engagement shape new ways of remembrance and reflection?

The international exchange with experienced experts and interdisciplinary group work open up space for developing creative strategies, for an artistic-political approach to dealing with violence, memory and the possibility of healing and transformation.

Participants

The Summer Academy addresses young professionals aged 25 to 35 from Croatia, France, Germany, Poland, Ukraine and the Western Balkan countries with a professional background and practical experience a) in the field of civic and history education/ memory work/culture of remembrance and/or b) in artistic practice related to educational projects on the topics of nature, history, remembrance and memory.

Key questions

• How does human violence manifest itself in the landscape - ecologically, historically, symbolically?
• What role does nature play in European spaces of remembrance?
• Which approaches to dealing with landscapes characterised by war and mass crimes are offered by actors from art, culture, education and civil society?
• What new perspectives and approaches can be developed in an interdisciplinary European exchange in dealing with these issues?

Objectives

• Addressing traces of human violence in landscapes and reflecting on connections between nature, art and violence in European spaces of memory
• Raising awareness for hidden stories inscribed in nature and our everyday environment 
• Encouraging the development of open, future-orientated forms of remembrance and reflection on war and crimes against humanity – particularly involving artistic approaches
• Enabling exchange between young professionals from different European countries and professional backgrounds (arts, culture, education, civic engagement, etc.) in order to engage in a holistic way with the political, historical and ecological challenges of our time

Programme overview

The Summer Academy combines theoretical analysis with examples from practice and interactive group work. Keynote speeches from science and art are planned as well as presentations of artistic and educational projects.

• 2  September – Arrival in the late afternoon, keynote speech, getting to know each other, get-together
• 3  September – Keynote speeches with discussions, practice-oriented presentations, forum for participants’ projects
• 4  September – Practice-oriented presentations, workshops: group work with laboratory of ideas
• 5  September – Berlin visit with workshop discussion including sharing of results from the previous days, thematic tour in Berlin, departure

Registration  

Registration is possible via the online form until 1 July 2025.

A description of the motivation for participating in the Summer Academy and a short biographical notice must be included in the registration form.

Registration will be confirmed by email by 10 July 2025 at the latest after the participants have been selected.

Selection criteria for participation

A committee consisting of several employees of the Federal Agency for Civic Education and the Genshagen Foundation will select up to 22 participants from the applications received. Attention will be paid to a balanced composition of the group regarding the countries from which the participants come, as well as different professional backgrounds and experiences. 

Eligibility criteria for participation are:

• citizenship or current residence in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, France, Germany, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Serbia or Ukraine, aged 25 to 35
• Professional background and experience a) in the field of civic and history education/ memory work/culture of remembrance and/or b) in artistic practice related to educational projects on the topics of nature, history, remembrance and memory.
• Willingness to present your own projects or project ideas as part of the Summer Academy 
• advanced level of English.

Participants do not incur any costs: travel, accommodation and programme costs are covered. The project is jointly organised and financed by the German Federal Agency for Civic Education and the Genshagen Foundation.

Contact

• Katarina Berg, Programme manager at the Federal Agency for Civic Education, moe@bpb.de  
• Anneke Viertel, Project manager at the Genshagen Foundation, viertel@stiftung-genshagen.de