Heritage under Socialism

Eszter Gantner (1971–2019) was a research fellow and project coordinator at the Herder Institute for Historical Research on East Central Europe in Marburg, Germany, from 2013 to 2019. She published widely on heritage, the urban history of East Central Europe, and Jewish history.

“The introduction nicely summarizes the general issues that distinguish this work from other post-socialist heritage studies in the region. Importantly, this volume takes socialist approaches to heritage seriously rather than seeing socialism as a past best forgotten…Recommended” • Choice“The chapters collected together in this volume offer valuable insights into the diverse and complex field of cultural heritage studies in Eastern and Central Europe… Due to the sheer variety of themes, methodologies and approaches, the book constitutes an important contribution not only for heritage studies scholars, but also for Cold War historians, and specialists in Eastern European, Soviet as well as transnational and global cultural history.” • Heritage & Society“Looking into the nuances of the socialist heritage definition is one of the major values of this volume. The papers convincingly demonstrate that heritage experts addressed issues similar to their colleagues outside the Iron Curtain and were parts of a global discourse contributing to the theoretical and practical processes that took the field where it is today…Specialists in heritage studies dedicated to decolonizing the academic discourse will find the contributions inspiring. The volume, however, also offers a new insight into the cultural and political history of the region through analyzing the heritage domain.” • Austrian History Yearbook“This coherent, well-conceived book presents a wide range of issues through a selection of interesting cases. Its focus on the Central and Eastern Europe region is an important addition to the wider discussion concerning the geopolitics of knowledge.” • Magdalena Banaszkiewicz, Jagiellonian University

• List of IllustrationsAcknowledgementsIntroduction: Heritage Under Socialism: Trajectories of Preserving the Tangible Past in Postwar Eastern and Central EuropeCorinne Geering and Paul VickersPart I: Transfers and Exchanges in Heritage Policies and PracticesChapter 1. The Past Belongs to the Future: Heritage in Soviet Policymaking on Cultural DevelopmentCorinne GeeringChapter 2. International Experts – National Martyrdom – Socialist Heritage: The Contribution of the Polish People’s Republic to the Early UNESCO World Heritage ProgramJulia RöttjerChapter 3. International Tourism and the Making of the National Heritage Canon in Late Soviet Ukraine, 1964–1991Iryna SklokinaChapter 4. International Contacts and Cooperation in Heritage Preservation in Soviet Estonia, 1960–1990Karin Hallas-Murula and Kaarel TruuPart II: Canonizing and Contesting the Past: Heritage, Place and Belonging under SocialismChapter 5. Socialist Royalty? The Ambiguities of the Reconstruction of the Royal Residence in Budapest in the 1950sEszter GantnerChapter 6. Justifying Demolition, Questioning Value: Urban Typologies and the Concept of the “Historic Town” in 1960s RomaniaLiliana IugaChapter 7. Making Sense of Socialism through Heritage Preservation: Stories from Northwest BohemiaČeněk PýchaChapter 8. Socialism and the Rise of Industrial Heritage: The Preservation of Industrial Monuments in the German Democratic RepublicNele-Hendrikje LehmannConclusion: Transnational Heritage Networks in Socialist Eastern and Central EuropeCorinne Geering