Münchner Platz Memorial Dresden

For the Münchner Platz Memorial in Dresden, gewerkdesign developed an exhibition for both indoor and outdoor spaces, as well as a web-based app that provides in-depth background information on the memorial.

As a court, prison, and execution site during the Nazi dictatorship, the Soviet occupation and in the early years of the GDR, the building complex has a sombre past that needs to be conveyed in a sensitive yet clearly understandable manner. In the exhibition, displays and showcases reflect these three areas: Filing cabinets represent the court, bunks symbolise prison life, and cases refer to the execution site. From all areas, visitors can look out into the inner courtyard where the executions took place. In this way, this location remains constantly present, whilst at the same time the absence of partition walls in the space helps to mitigate the sense of trepidation.

We have achieved a link between the interior and exterior spaces through an information system that we developed for the TU Dresden campus, which is now housed in these buildings. Nineteen bilingual text and image panels provide information on the former functions of these places and the biographies of the prisoners. A web-based app also offers further information.