IBA Thüringen

“A dramatic location characterised by a chequered history that is both an enclave worthy of preservation and a place in search of a new uses. As an authentic site both for the history of German democracy and of National Socialist egomania, any renewal requires critical reconstruction. In short, a unique location that contains traces of many identities in Thuringia.”
Prof. Andreas Wolf, former member of the IBA Thüringen Advisory Board

In 1919 Friedrich Ebert signed Germany’s first democratic constitution in Schwarzburg. However, the years of the Weimar democracy were numbered and during the era of National Socialism that followed, the baroque castle was to be converted into an imperial guesthouse for the Führer. The building was gutted beyond recognition, the work undertaken by forced labourers housed in the valley below. Today all that remains are its ruins as a monument to the threat to the democratic foundations of society.

Numerous initiatives in the region have since come together to create a memorial to democracy at this unique location to mark the centenary of the Weimar Constitution. Here they can exchange views on democracy, social responsibility, tolerance and cosmopolitanism in our society.