From Ruin to Reconciliation: Preserved Churches as Living Artefacts of Collective Memory in Berlin

Abstract

This thesis examines the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and the Chapel of Reconciliation, two churches in Berlin that were destroyed in the 20th-century global conflicts, the Second World War and the Cold War respectively. After remaining divided for several decades following the war, the city finally reunified in 1990. Today, the city stands as the ultimate urban palimpsest, comprising multiple layers of history and marked by both physical and historical voids. Using these case examples, the thesis investigates different preservation strategies adopted to revive these two post-conflict churches in Berlin. Further, it extracts from preservation strategies, heritage studies, and memory studies, positioning these tangible cultural heritages as living artefacts that are not only visually distinct but deeply embedded in the cultural memory of people, acting as constant reminders of loss and resilience. By highlighting the difference in preservation practices between the two churches and evaluating them in relation to the current urban fabric that surrounds them, this thesis contributes to the disciplines of conservation, memory, and cultural heritage. It explores the basis of the determination of various strategies to be adapted by these specific examples and further investigates how different perspectives and interpretations on heritage and preservation shape conservation practices, both in immediate post‑conflict responses and in later reinterpretations.