Last week, a delegation from the Jerusalem-based Yad Vashem museum visited Munich. The Bavarian Commissioner for Combating Antisemitism and CSU member of parliament, Ludwig Spaenle, was one of the participants in the talks. “They are focusing on 1933,” Spaenle noted. This refers to the plan to open the Yad Vashem center in Germany in January 2033, marking the 100th anniversary of Hitler’s seizure of power.
The plan is to open an educational center—a form of learning institution where seminars for teachers, students, or police officers could be held. The center should also support research work on antisemitism and the Holocaust, and exhibitions might be displayed in a representative building. The Yad Vashem center should become a “visible sign” against the minimization of Nazi regime crimes and raise awareness among the younger generation about the Shoah, as stated by Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan during his visit to Berlin in September.
The idea of locating a center in Germany emerged in 2023 during the tenure of then-Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), and the project has gained momentum since then.
Bavarian Bid Gains Momentum
In Bavaria, this plan is a matter of paramount importance. Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) has made it clear that the Free State (Bavaria) will participate financially. Charlotte Knobloch, President of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, supports Munich’s bid. Last week, the Landtag’s Education Committee unanimously adopted a motion to advocate for the opening of the Yad Vashem center in Munich. This would be a “milestone in political education and the culture of remembrance,” the statement said. A decision by the Landtag plenum is expected to follow.
The first concrete ideas for the location have also been put forward. According to these, the center could be housed in a building belonging to the Free State in Munich’s Maxvorstadt district, possibly “in the immediate vicinity” of Karolinenplatz. The Israeli Consulate General and the Documentation Centre for the History of National Socialism are also located there. Proximity to research institutions will play a major role in the choice of location, Spaenle believes. “Competences are concentrated in Munich.” For example, important archives with primary sources concerning the very origins of the Nazi movement, the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial, historical buildings related to Nazism, and the Center for Holocaust Research—part of the Institute for Contemporary History on Leonrodstrasse—are located here.
This is an open competition, and a decision has not yet been made, all participants emphasize. North Rhine-Westphalia has also submitted a bid: its state parliament passed a symbolic resolution weeks ago to apply. According to a report by the Jüdische Allgemeine newspaper, Düsseldorf could be a location, with Duisburg or Dortmund also being mentioned. In Saxony, Leipzig is likely the favorite. Furthermore, Zwickau submitted a bid through a city council resolution but has, at best, minor chances.
Yad Vashem will announce which city has been chosen in the first half of 2026.
Source: dpa
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