ISS 25 (1995).pdf - The International Council of Museums

These observations reprooving to the contemporary history elucidate the political actuality and
the challenge to the museum-responsibilities.
Museum and KZ-memorial place Dachau
The 50th memorial-day of year of the "liberation" of the Konzentrationslager this year is
celebrated on many places with a great political engagement - also at Apri1!29/ 1995 in the
memorial-camp of Dachau. Otherwise is the question how it will be initiated to achieve a
lasting concept reflecting upon past this commemoration day. This field of themes schould be
performed for the generations of the descendants and explicated in a way so that on the one
hand historical insights and appreciations of visitors will be achieved, on the other hand
consequences will be drawn for the social and political life in the future.
An only "museal" consideration wouldn't deal with the different aspects of the scope, but
otherwise it can't also be enough, that museum-visitors more or less walk over similar on a
promenade.
The most important document for the belonging of these memorial places with the original
relicts, the memorials and document centres - they are them elves a mirror of the conception
and interpretation of history and museum of that time they came into being - are the statutes of
the International Council of Museum, where we are reading in the 2nd article:
"In addition to institutions designated as "museums" the following qualifY as museums fur the
purposes of this definition: " ... ethnographic monuments and historical monuments and sites of
a museum nature that acquire, conserve and communicate material evidence of people and
their environment. ,,25
Under this regard is also to see an arrangement with the title "From the School of Violence to
a Place ofLeaming Dachau" managed by Mr. 19naz Bubis, master of "Zentralrat der Juden in
Deutschland". The special significance of "Memorials for the victims of Holocaust" related to
our community is, that compared with the events in the "Drittes Reich" in the last 500 years
nothing comparible in the German History came to pass.
So it isn't possible for memorial places to keep only remembrance. Rather it must be of value
from the sides of museums to support the reflecting-points of visitors and to respect the
following testimony of a witness: " Everybody shouldn't only remember the past, but engage
himself offensively in civil-courage therefore such things occured in the past don't repeat in
future. "
"Holocaust-Museum" and "Museum of Tolerance"
The "United States Holocaust Memorial Museum" in the meaning of their founders "is
dedicated to presenting the history of the persecution and murder of six milliion Jews and
millions of other victims of Nazi tyranny from 1933 to 1945. The museum's primary mission is
to inform Americans about this unprecedented tragedy, to remember those who suffered, and
to inspire visitors to contemplate the moral implications of their choices and responsibilities as
citizens in an independent world. "26
The museum, just opened in April 1993, has integrated this premise in view of its visitors as a
permanent message in all of its departments. After the declaration of the museum the
presentation is able to be visited by young visitors already from eleven years on. In its
methodical kind it has been created and installed "narratively", because it really narrates the
history of Holocaust by artifacts, fotos, films and in testimonies. "Daniel's story" is prepared
25
26
lntcmational Council of Museums. Statutes. Article 2 - Definitions. Paris 1990. p.3.
Folder: "Visitor's Guide" of the "United States Holo..;aust Memorial Museum", Washmgton 1994.
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