Jena, May 28, 2026. The scientific project “Geschichte statt Mythen” (History instead of Myths) at Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena is intensively addressing historical revisionist narratives and the processing of Nazi myths in Thüringen. A particular focus lies on historical education regarding the city of Nordhausen and the Mittelbau-Dora Concentration Camp Memorial.
- Project: “Geschichte statt Mythen” of Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
- Focus: Scientific processing of Nazi myths and historical revisionism
- Involved Actors: Andreas Froese (Director of the Mittelbau-Dora Concentration Camp Memorial), Jakob Schergaut (Moderation/Project Staff)
- Sponsors & Partners: Foundation “Erinnerung, Verantwortung und Zukunft” (EVZ), Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Thüringen, “Historiker*innen für Demokratie”
- Project Website: www.geschichte-statt-mythen.de
Scientific Analysis Against “Fake History”
The project “Geschichte statt Mythen,” based at Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena (FSU), is dedicated to the systematic research and classification of historical-political distortions. Under the scientific leadership of FSU historians, the initiative aims to deconstruct historical myths and strengthen a fact-based culture of remembrance. The project is significantly funded by the Foundation “Erinnerung, Verantwortung und Zukunft” (EVZ) and cooperates closely with the Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Thüringen and the network “Historiker*innen für Demokratie.”
At the center of the work are documentation, methodical analysis, and the clear communication of historical facts to the general public. Through lectures, publications, and media collaborations – such as the current special broadcast by Jena TV – researchers make scientific findings accessible. In doing so, the initiators are responding to the increasing spread of misinformation in digital spaces and political discourse, which aims to relativize or reinterpret the crimes of National Socialism.
The Example of Nordhausen: Victim Myth versus Historical Reality
The importance of this scientific work is particularly evident in the example of the city of Nordhausen and the local Mittelbau-Dora Memorial. As part of the accompanying event series, Andreas Froese, Director of the Mittelbau-Dora Concentration Camp Memorial, together with moderator Jakob Schergaut, highlights the specific myths and legends that have surrounded the Thuringian city and its Nazi past for decades.
For decades after the Second World War, Nordhausen was caught in the tension of a strongly local-patriotic culture of remembrance. Following the heavy air raids by the Royal Air Force in April 1945, which destroyed large parts of the city, a distinct victim myth established itself among the local population. This focused primarily on the suffering of the local population and pushed the existence of the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp and the active involvement of local actors in Nazi armaments production to the margins of collective consciousness for decades.
The Mittelbau-Dora Memorial as a Place of Remembrance
However, historical reality shows a different picture: In the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp and its numerous subcamps, tens of thousands of concentration camp prisoners were forced into slave labor in the underground tunnel network of the Kohnstein starting in 1943. They had to produce the so-called “Vergeltungswaffen” (V2 rockets) there. More than 20,000 people died from exhaustion, hunger, disease, and abuse.
The processing of this close link between the armaments industry, local administration, the resident population, and the camp system is a core concern of modern historical research. Researchers like Andreas Froese repeatedly emphasize how important it is to view the local perspective of the destruction of Nordhausen not in isolation, but in direct connection with the Nazi regime’s racist war of annihilation. The project “Geschichte statt Mythen” makes an important contribution here by processing these complex connections on a scientifically sound basis, thereby depriving populist simplifications of their foundation.
🏛️ History & Buildings: The Legacy of Mittelbau-Dora
The Mittelbau-Dora Concentration Camp Memorial in Nordhausen is today an internationally significant place of learning and remembrance. Originally founded in late summer 1943 as a subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp, the camp was expanded into an independent concentration camp in autumn 1944. The core of the camp was the underground armaments factory in the Kohnstein, where forced labor had to be performed under the most brutal conditions. After liberation in April 1945 by the US Army, the site served, among other things, as accommodation for displaced persons. It was not until the 1960s that an initial memorial was established, which was fundamentally redesigned after German reunification. The scientific cooperation between memorials and universities such as FSU Jena ensures the continuous research of these historical sites and protects the remembrance from political instrumentalization.
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Special Broadcasts – Fake History? Historical Myths Under the Microscope
Transparency Note: This article was automatically created, editorially reviewed, and expanded with AI support.