New Books Network Susanne Vees-Gulani, 'Icon Dresden: Baroque City, Air War Symbol, Political Token" (U Michigan Press, 2026)
Mar 23, 2026
Susanne Vees-Gulani, Professor of German and comparative literature who studies memory and urban history. She traces Dresden’s long cultural branding and how WWII bombing narratives were shaped by propaganda and postwar politics. The conversation covers GDR memory practices, tensions between Holocaust remembrance and local narratives, and how competing memories feed present-day far-right and cultural pushback.
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How Nazi Propaganda Made Dresden A Unique Victim
- Nazi propaganda framed Dresden as an exceptional cultural treasure to portray the February 1945 bombing as a moral outrage rather than legitimate warfare.
- Propaganda emphasized grand architectural losses, exaggerated death tolls (implied 100,000+), and alleged brutal tactics like phosphorous to internationalize the victim narrative.
Baroque Marketing Built Dresden's Iconic Image
- Dresden's long baroque marketing under rulers like Augustus the Strong created an enduring image of the city as a cultured European jewel.
- 17th–18th century urban redesign, Italianate festivals, art collecting and widely distributed skyline images established a selective, iconic visual identity.
GDR Reused Bombing Memory To Attack The West
- The GDR repurposed the bombing narrative to delegitimize the West, framing Western allies as cultural enemies who destroyed an important German patrimony.
- This reuse allowed East German authorities to highlight their own moral superiority while avoiding local responsibility for Nazi crimes.
