Vanished villages - what if 1914-1918 had taken place in Southern Germany?

An artistic intervention in public space on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

Dark green town signs mark Hannberg, Kosbach, Steudach, Kleingründlach and Neunhof as "vanished villages".

These five villages in Middle Franconia remind us of the "Villages détruits", which were destroyed during the war of the First World War in France and not rebuilt.

The signs are to be seen from 3.10.2018 to 31.10.2018.

The accompanying exhibition at the gallery Black Cube in Erlangen from 26.10.2018 to 11.11.2018

See the Facebook blog (use translate function)

 

The Motivation

Locations of the signs

(The documentation of the event will be inserted here)

"What if 1914-1918 had taken place in Southern Germany?"

This question was raised by  Reiner F. Schulz, an artist from Erlangen/Germany.
"Five vanished villages in Middle Franconia" was the answer which is staged as an artistic intervention in public space: three signs "Verschwundenes Dorf"/"Vanished village" are set up in Hannberg, Kosbach, Steudach, Kleingründlach and Neunhof. These unusual signs are supposed to confuse the viewers and make them curious.

"I consider the Franco-German friendship a convincingly successful example of how "hereditary enemies"can become friends, and how a war can become unthinkable. But unfortunately the peaceful coexistence of the peoples is threatened in these days. "National egoisms that led to a catastrophe 100 years ago seem to be desirable again", says Schulz, adding: "We are all called upon to be interested and to oppose the trend towards nationalism."