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32. Tagung des Deutsch-Polnischen Arbeitskreises für Kunstgeschichte und Denkmalpflege

The Topicality of Ruins in the Past, Present und Future / Zur Aktualität von Ruinen in der Vergangenheit, Gegenwart und Zukunft / O aktualności ruin w przeszłości, teraźniejszości i przyszłości

04. – 06. Dezember 2025 an der Europa-Universität Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder) und am Collegium Polonicum (Słubice)

The interest in disused, decaying buildings appears to have a long history. This is demonstrated by numerous examples of archaeological tourism since antiquity. At certain times, the contemplation of ruins layed a formative role in European culture, as evidenced by the pictorial worlds of Panini, Piranesi, C.D. Friedrich, Pompeian salons and artificial ruins in the gardens of European residences.
In late modernism, not least in the wake of the ‘spatial turn’, the ruin returns as a metaphor of contingency. This time it does not primarily stand for endurance and the timelessness of the imperial or the sublime. Rather, it functions – in line with the acceleration of world events – as a symbol of the changing times of modernity, of transformations, shrinking processes and the destructive violence of wars.
While monument conservation authorities in Western countries are concerned with the legal protection of railway stations, industrial complexes, military barracks, churches and, most recently, department stores that have lost their function, something else is going on under the radar of institutions. The processes of decay have long since become a source of fascination for the globally networked Urbex scene.
The morbid aura of modern ruins is perceived as an expression of the ‘authentic’ and as an antithesis to the all-encompassing economisation of cultural assets. Entering abandoned building complexes is a special kind of physical experience, an enjoyment of atmospheres. The immersive experience is processed photo-graphically and disseminated to the appropriate communities via social media. But beyond our reality, the theme of ruin is also utilised by the virtual games and entertainment industry where AI-generated films and games deliver coveted, post-apocalyptic scenarios to order.
The ruin is thus a metaphor for the state of the planet in the age of the Anthropocene. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe were, and unfortunately still are, particularly confronted with the reality of war ruins. In this respect, the topic offers numerous perspectives as a leitmotif for this year's conference of the German-Polish Working Group for Art History and Monument Preservation. The aim is to pursue a comparative objective in the context of time and space, to illuminate connecting lines and breaks in the reflection on ruins.

Tagungsprogramm