Taking Stock of European Memory Policies 2026

The 9th Meeting of the EUROM Network–Taking Stock of European Memory Policies will take place in Berlin on November 3 to 5 under the title Architectures of Discomfort, inviting participants to reflect on public memory as a form of collective heritage. This year’s meeting explores the dual nature of memory: its intangible dimension as a shared social and political process, and its material presence in monuments, buildings, landscapes and urban spaces that embody difficult and often contested pasts in an increasingly digital and fluid present.

Organised by the European Observatory on Memories (EUROM) and the Instituto Cervantes Berlin, the three-day event will examine how processes of memorialisation shape democratic public spaces while engaging with dissonant and uncomfortable heritage. Through discussions on architecture, urbanism, heritage policies, museology, public art and civic participation, the event will address the political, social and ethical challenges involved in preserving and transforming places marked by violence, dictatorship, colonialism and other traumatic histories.

Heritage and Sites of Memory

Berlin—and Germany more broadly—provides a particularly meaningful setting for these discussions, given its internationally recognised experience in confronting difficult pasts through interventions in the urban landscape. The conference will explore the political decision-making processes behind memorial projects, the tensions between historical preservation and contemporary democratic values, the economic and institutional challenges they face, and the need to place victims and affected communities at the centre of public memory policies. The programme will also connect these debates with current European initiatives, including the evolution of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme and new EU policies supporting democratic remembrance and heritage.

The meeting is open to the public and will bring together academics, policymakers, architects, artists, representatives of European institutions, and civil society organisations from across Europe. Representatives of the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the wider EUROM network are expected to participate, fostering dialogue between research, public policy and cultural practice.

Confirmed Speakers

The full programme will be available soon, and it already features a distinguished group of confirmed speakers and moderators.

• Hans Günter Merz, Architect
• Philippe Prost, Architect and Professor (ENSA Paris-Belleville) 
• Annalisa de Curtis, Architect and Professor
• Liliana Iuga, Architect and Professor (RWTH Aachen University) 
• Axel Klausmeier, Director of the Berlin Wall Foundation
• Kathrin Golda-Pongratz, Architect and Professor (Polytechnic University of Catalonia–UPC) 
• Markus Prutsch, European Parliament
• Harald Bodenschatz, Social Scientist and Urban Planner 
• Victoria Grau, Urban Planner and Doctoral Researcher 
• Dora Ivanova, Architect (Buzludzha Project Foundation)
• Alessia Zampini, Architect and Professor (University of Bologna)
• Jan Schultheiß, German Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB)
• Horst Hoheisel, Artist
• Nasra Elliott, Engagement Producer, National Museums Liverpool
• Daniel Rico, Art Historian and Professor(Autonomous University of Barcelona –UAB)
• Maria Milisavljevici, Playwright and Translator 
• Pilar Millan, Artist
• Piedad Solans, Curator and Independent Researcher
• Nuria Ricart Ulldemolins, Fine Arts Professor (University of Barcelona)
• Maria Amparo Gomar Vidal , Artist
• Stefanie Endlich, Honorary Professor of Art in Public Space at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK)

Beyond the conference sessions, participants will have opportunities for networking and exchange, concluding with an optional guided visit to Berlin’s Holocaust and memory sites curated by Stefanie Endlich, offering a first-hand perspective on one of Europe’s most significant urban landscapes of remembrance.

Pre-registration is now open

Complete the pre-registration form to receive priority updates on the agenda and full programme, which will be announced in September.

Organized by / Organización: European Observatory on Memories of the University of Barcelona Solidarity Foundation and Instituto Cervantes Berlin, with the collaboration of the Jean Monnet House. Co-funded by the programme Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values of the European Commission.