On Wednesday 11 February 2026 at 5.30pm, Claudia Jerzak and Dr Barbara Lubich will provide a screening of “Come Together: Dresden and 13 February.” This lecture will be hosted in-person at the Institute of Historical Research and online via Zoom. This event is Co-hosted with the Institute of Historical Research as part of its War, Society and Culture series.
Talk Outline
On 13 and 14 February 1945, Dresden became the target of Allied bombing raids. The theme of the ‘senseless’ destruction of an ‘innocent’ cultural city, so shortly before the end of the war, was immediately exploited for propaganda purposes. This myth, created by Goebbels, proved to be an excellent means of mobilising against the West, even during the Cold War. While in the 1980s the peace movement used 13 February to protest against war and armament, the date became significant for completely different groups after reunification.Today, one of Europe’s largest neo-Nazi marches takes place in Dresden annually on 13 February. Clashes between neo-Nazis, police and counter-demonstrators dominate the day’s events. The traditional commemoration has become a street battle that affects the entire city. Many differing opinions clash. Against the backdrop of the city skyline, the film creates a dialogue between these different positions. Through the voices of the protagonists, it looks back on the history of commemoration since 1945 and at the same time reflects on current developments. The change that the discourse on remembrance has undergone in the last five years continued to gain momentum in 2012.
Location
This hybrid lecture will be hosted in-person at the Institute of Historical Research (Room 264, Second Floor, Senate House, Malet Steet, London, WC1E 7HU) and online via Zoom. Attendance in-person and online is free, and no registration is required. Further details can be found on the Institute of Historical Research’s website.
About the Speakers
Claudia Jerzak co-wrote the documentary film Come Together: Dresden and 13 February, exhibitions, workshops, conferences on the commemoration of the bombing of Hamburg and Dresden in the Second World War, on which she is completing her doctorate. Her recent publications include a chapter in The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Cultural Heritage and Conflict and an article in the dossier about culture of remembrance of the Federal Agency for Civic Education.
Dr Barbara Lubich is an Italian filmmaker, sociologist and historian. Her cultural-sociological explorations have been published as books (Das Kreativsubjekt in der DDR), as cinema documentaries (Im Umbruch; Come Together) or video installations. Her long-standing engagement with interdisciplinary heritage projects focuses on cultural education and cross-border exchange. Both participated in the EU-research project ‘CRIC – Cultural Heritage and Identity after Conflict’.