Berlin's bold plan to confront its colonial history through remembrance

Berlin has taken a step toward addressing its colonial past with a new city-wide remembrance concept. The plan, titled Remembering Colonialism, was officially handed to Senator for Culture Sarah Wedl-Wilson on Monday. It proposes both a central learning site and a network of decentralised memorial spaces linked to the city's colonial history.

The concept's core ideas were first shared in April 2024 at the House of World Cultures. It calls for permanent structures at a central location, with three possible sites under consideration: the former German Colonial Museum on Moltke Bridge, the site of the old Royal Museum of Ethnology in Kreuzberg, or the area around the carp pond in Treptower Park. However, the document does not list specific numbers of additional sites across Berlin.

The Senate has already allocated €150,000 annually for colonialism-related projects through its funding programme for contemporary historical and remembrance initiatives. Yet no extra money for implementing the wider concept has been set aside in the 2026/27 budget.

Beyond physical sites, the plan stresses deeper collaboration with affected communities and civil society groups. It also pushes for expanded scientific research into colonial history and its lasting effects, including racism. Unlike the federal memorial approach, Berlin's focus remains on acknowledging colonial crimes and their local impact.

The Remembering Colonialism concept now rests with the Senate, which must decide how to move forward without new funding. Existing programmes will continue to support related projects, while the proposed central site and decentralised network await further development. The initiative marks an effort to embed colonial history more firmly in Berlin's public memory.