The permanent exhibition traces the eventful history of the Hildebrandhaus and the people who have shaped the house and its neighbourhood. “Through the Monacensia’s work, the Hildebrandhaus has become a living repository of memory. As the exhibition’s title suggests, it carries a biography waiting to be uncovered,” remarked Lena Altman, Co-CEO of the Alfred Landecker Foundation, at the opening on 27 October. The Foundation supports the exhibition, with a special focus on cataloguing and preserving the Salamander Archives.
Untold Stories Surrounding the Hildebrandhaus
Around 1900, the sculptor Adolf von Hildebrand commissioned the Hildebrandhaus as a combined studio and residence for himself and his family, driven by the vision of uniting art and life. During the Nazi era, however, the house transformed into a place where many lives took a tragic turn. For years, the fates of many of its residents remained scarcely known, concealed by processes of denial and forgetting.
The exhibition investigates these previously untold stories, showcasing documents, photographs, files, and letters from various archives and private collections, including for instance those of the Jewish landscape painter Benno Becker’s family. Interviews with the journalist and literary scholar Rachel Salamander, as well as the philosopher Julian Nida-Rümelin, offer additional personal perspectives to complement the exhibition.
“We are proud to be among the supporters of the new permanent exhibition. Our foundation, too, has a biography and a memory deeply rooted in the upheavals of German history, which present us with current and future challenges,” said Lena Altman.
Salamander Archives: Documenting Literature on Judaism After 1945
A key area of support are the Salamander Archives, a project dedicated to curating Rachel Salamander’s collection. As the founder of the Munich-based Literaturhandlung, Salamander has long dedicated herself to the preservation of Jewish culture, with a special focus on post-1945 literature. Her invaluable cultural and historical collection has now been entrusted to the Monacensia, ensuring its continued legacy.
“The original documents in the collection are of immeasurable significance. They portray Jewish-German intellectual life after 1945 and reveal the debates that have surrounded literature on Judaism,” explains Lena Altman. By entrusting the archive to the Monacensia, forgotten and erased Jewish experiences are being revived into the collective memory.
Monacensia in the Hildebrandhaus
The Monacensia is Munich’s literary memory. It houses the city’s literary archive, the Monacensia Library, and a museum and event space in one single location. Since 1973, it has had its home in the Hildebrandhaus. The villa reflects the literary diversity of the city. It serves as a meeting place, a creative hub, a source of inspiration, and a stage for established and emerging authors, artists, and the independent scene. The facility of Munich City Library is open to all who seek to discover and uncover the literary dimensions of the Bavarian capital.
