Distinguished Mayor,
Ms Büttner and the remarkable team of Monacensia at the Hildebrandhaus,
dear Rachel,
dear Stephan Sattler,
esteemed guests,
It is a genuine pleasure to be here with you today and, on behalf of the Alfred Landecker Foundation, to inaugurate this new permanent exhibition. This occasion allows us not only to celebrate the vital and forward-thinking work of Monacensia but also to honour the pioneering and tireless efforts of you, dear Rachel, whose decades of dedication to Munich have now found a lasting home here: a living, breathing monument.
This is, in fact, my very first visit to this magnificent artists’ villa—that you so beautifully describe as the literary memory of the city of Munich.
And I am deeply impressed by how you, dear Ms Büttner, and your team have succeeded in creating such a unique space—a repository of knowledge and a hub of engagement. Its diversity is truly inspiring, attracting a wide audience and encouraging reflection and meaningful exchange.
It is truly remarkable how Monacensia manages to bring together
research and reading, a space for creative work, a stage for cultural
practitioners, and a hub for digital learning—all under one roof.
In these polarised times, this space speaks to a wide range of people: artists and scholars, literature enthusiasts and school groups alike find a place here to engage culturally and creatively, together. It feels as though the dialogue between diverse voices—so important to you, dear Rachel—perhaps is still possible, despite all the challenges we face.
And serving as the cherry on top, you’ve got this marvellous garden—a place of tranquillity and inspiration, inviting us to pause and reflect. In short: could we possibly transplant Monacensia to Berlin?
But in all seriousness, this house—thanks to the work of Monacensia—is a living repository of memory. As the title of the exhibition suggests, it has a biography waiting to be explored. Within these walls, we encounter the lives of its many and varied residents, even through the dark times of Nazi terror and persecution. This place serves as a vibrant and welcoming reminder of those who resisted the regime, those who were persecuted and murdered, and those who survived.
This house’s biography is intricately intertwined with history, the spatial present and future, and the fabric of Munich’s urban society. At the same time, it reaches far beyond the city itself.
We at the Alfred Landecker Foundation are proud to be among the supporters of this new permanent exhibition, which is being unveiled to us for the first time today. It certainly did not need any persuasion to convince us of the importance of this project. This is undoubtedly because our foundation, too, has a biography and a memory deeply rooted in the upheavals of German history, which continue to shape our responsibilities in the present and the future.
The figure after whom our foundation is named, Alfred Landecker, was an assimilated Jew, a successful executive proxy, and a father of three children. Born in East Prussia, he later moved to Mannheim. In 1942, he was forcibly taken by the Gestapo and subsequently murdered in Sobibor or Belzec—we will never know exactly where.
His daughter, Emilie Landecker, was in a relationship with the entrepreneur and staunch antisemite and Nazi, Albert Reimann Jr. The Reimann family has had the company’s history thoroughly researched, and we, as a foundation, will be publishing Alfred Landecker’s biography by the end of this year.
Our mission, of course, is far from complete; on the contrary, it continues. We will continue to work with many partner institutions from academia and civil society to remember the Shoah, combat antisemitism, and strengthen democratic institutions. We will also continue to contribute to making Jewish life and Jewish creativity visible, particularly in times when, in too many communities, what the survivors of the past constantly faced has once again become acceptable: the threat to, and denial of, their very existence.
Given the foundation's history, it is perhaps not surprising that the particular focus of our work here is on the acquisition, preservation, and digitisation of Rachel Salamander’s archive, which will also form the foundation of a travelling exhibition and digital supplementary resources in the future.
Dear Rachel, through the Literaturhandlung you have devoted yourself to the literary task of preserving Jewish culture, particularly literature after 1945. For the second generation of Jewish people following the Shoah, it was crucial to gather Jewish knowledge, thereby enabling the very possibility of a new beginning for Jewish culture in Germany. Over four decades, you have built a unique archive, a multifaceted collective memory, that includes key documents on Jewish literature, culture, and science, as well as on Jewish life in post-war Germany.
The original documents included in the Salamander collection – correspondence with guests of the Literaturhandlung, texts, images, and audio recordings from Amos Oz, Marcel Reich-Ranicki, Imre Kertész, and intellectual icons of German-speaking Jews such as Hannah Arendt and Saul Friedländer – are of inestimable value. They represent a portrait of Jewish-German intellectual life after 1945 and reveal the debates that surrounded literature on Judaism. They are of great significance for both Shoah research and biographical studies. And they fit perfectly with the memory and biography of this house.
For us, it is clear: preserving and making Rachel Salamander's archive accessible is more crucial than ever. Since 7th October, everything has changed. The events of that day mark a horrifying turning point. For Jews in Germany, they represent a resurgence of threats to their safety: homes are being marked with the Star of David, calls for boycotts are becoming louder, and violent attacks on Jewish people are occurring in the heart of our cities. Jewish and Israeli cultural figures are being cancelled; their voices silenced. Political parties that increasingly question the cultural consensus on collective memory are gaining traction across all social classes and age groups. What does the future hold for Israel as a sanctuary for Jews worldwide? Uncertain. In light of our German history, this reality is almost unbearable. But turning a blind eye will not help.
To overcome the pessimism, I imagine what impact this new permanent exhibition at the Monacensia – the exploration of Rachel Salamander’s archive – will have in five, ten, or twenty years, for generations to come. What stories will this house have to tell by then?
Perhaps it will be a place where young people read the writings of Hannah Arendt and the words of Saul Friedländer, and hear the voices of those who, after unimaginable horror, had the courage to revive Jewish life in Germany.
A place where they not only learn what happened, but also understand why it must never happen again. A place that inspires them to take action accordingly. This is my heartfelt wish. I would like to warmly congratulate everyone involved in the exhibition and its accompanying programme presented today, and wish this ambitious project every success, especially to you, Mr. Geiger, in your continued work on the Salamander Archives – truly a major undertaking that will occupy you for many years to come!
I look forward to an inspiring day with all of you!