European Summer Academy for Young Professionals

Memories of Landscape. On Traces of Violence in Nature

The online publication documents the Summer Academy for young professionals, which was jointly organised by the Federal Agency for Civic Education and the Genshagen Foundation in September 2025.

The Summer Academy “Memories of Landscape. On Traces of Violence in Nature” gathered young professionals from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Germany, Kosovo, Poland, Serbia and Ukraine. It addressed the question of how landscapes become memory spaces of human violence – and how we deal today with these silent, often overlooked archives. How do societies deal with traces of violence in nature and the historical events they refer to? How do art, science, education and civic engagement shape new ways of remembrance and reflection?  

The online publication contains contributions in English by the experts who gave lectures during the Summer Academy. The interdisciplinary collection of insights includes both the theoretical examination of connections between nature, art and memory, and project examples from various European countries. Readers will also find portraits of the nineteen participants and selected examples of their work. Graphic recordings created during the Academy complement the texts and invite visual reflection. 

Partner: Federal Agency for Civic Education 

Contact: Anneke Viertel

European Summer Academy for Young Professionals

Memories of Landscape. On Traces of Violence in Nature

European Summer Academy for Young Professionals

Flyer accompanying the online publication “Memories of Landscape. On Traces of Violence in Nature”