Spaces of Memory of Flight: Visualizing Scenes from Flight Stories of the Nazi Era and Today Using VR Technology

The future meets the past - and something new is created: In our virtual reality project, young people meet survivors of the Nazi era in person, learn about their biographies, and gain important knowledge about Germany’s National Socialist past and its consequences. Based on these life stories, participants develop key scenes and create their own artistic models, which are then transferred into virtual reality.

Under journalistic guidance, participants conduct interviews with the contemporary witnesses, identify significant scenes, research historical archival materials, and gain an understanding of the family and life contexts of the time. In addition, a safe space is provided where participants can reflect on their own family and flight histories, explore other life experiences, and broaden their perspective by drawing parallels. Together, they discuss socially relevant issues such as exclusion, discrimination, and xenophobia.

The young participants independently work on the stories of the contemporary witnesses by artistically interpreting and reconstructing selected scenes using self-built dioramas. These dioramas depict impactful everyday and flight-related experiences from the lives of the former victims of National Socialism.

The art models are then scanned and transferred into virtual reality (VR) using specialized software. Further refinements take place in the digital space. Alongside historical learning, participants acquire new technical skills that enable them to confidently work with innovative technologies.

Using VR headsets allows for an immersive engagement with the scenes. This intense visual experience is complemented by audio recordings of the survivors’ testimonies.

The results of the project are regularly presented in public spaces and are guided by both the survivors and the participants. During Museum Night 2024, the exhibition was already displayed at the NS Documentation Center Cologne.

By combining digital and analog formats and involving contemporary witnesses, the project provides an innovative historical approach that strengthens young people’s understanding of democratic values and encourages personal reflection. The integration of VR technology offers new, emotionally engaging ways of experiencing history, supported by supervision and scholarly contextualization.

 

What the participants and exhibition visitors say:

• “A very exciting project, combining history with forward-looking technology… everything becomes tangible, and I learned a lot (for example, I had not considered Shanghai as a site of Nazi crimes).”

• “Thank you to Peter Finkelgruen for sharing his story and thanks to the students who bring this story to life.”

• “You can see that you enjoyed the creative work, and I was glad to see your interpretation of such a diverse story in a unique way.”

• “A moving and educational story! Thank you for your efforts to keep this history alive.”