German and Belarussian students and professors have been exploring the traces of jewish history in the city of Grodno, Belarus
Students of the Janka-Kupala-University Grodno and the Europe-University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder) have initiated the scientific dialogue and met in Grodno and in Frankfurt (Oder) for an exchange. The german and belarussian group has searched for information about jewish life and the Holocaust in Grodno.
As a result of the project, a city guide in russian, english and german was developed, containing numerous images. It can be used for scientific purposes or as a guide through the city. The guide was published as part of the series “Almanach – Europäische Grenzregionen neu entdecken” of the Institute of Applied History.
Although some buildings are being restored in the historic centre, many of them still fall victim to demolition – burying the few remain traces of jewish life in Grodno.
The project is a part of the efforts of the locals to preserve the old city and to raise awareness for the jewish fade of the city, that hasn´t been part of the official commemorating culture. The project was funded by the Robert Bosch Foundation and invites to the research of similar topics.
