Suche
Black-and-white photo showing an historical view of the city under a slightly cloudy sky. The buildings have been badly damaged; some are ruins or are the remains of demolished parts of buildings. On the left, behind a building façade that has disappeared, the towers of Munich’s Frauenkirche can be seen. In the right half of the picture, there is a building that has been completely destroyed. In this gap, the tower of Munich’s New Town Hall rises up between partly ruined foundation walls. There is rubble in the foreground. Several small groups of people, largely adults, are on the move or crowd around improvised sales stands under tarpaulins and umbrellas. Most people are wearing long as are their socks. The photograph shows Rosental in Munich after the end of World War II.
Rosental, Munich, c. 1946/47. Source: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek Bildarchiv, Photo: Georg Fruhstorfer

How we became what we are.

In May 2025, it will be 80 years since the end of World War II in Europe and, as such, in Munich as well. Liberation from Nazi rule was, however, not an abrupt act or ‘zero hour’, but required years of effort.

The period from 8 May 1945 onwards was characterised by the cooperation and coexistence of Holocaust survivors and those who had survived annihilation, of displaced and uprooted persons, refugees and those expelled, of members of the American armed forces and Germans returning from exile. They all set the course for our democratic social coexistence in a diverse urban society.

The Department of Arts and Culture in Munich invites everyone to examine this period that is so important to us today by participating actively in its cultural project 1945–2025 ‘Zero Hour?’ How we became what we are, that will be held at different venues around the city.

The programme of events can be found in our online calendar.

The complete programme is available in pdf form and as a printed booklet from all event partners.

Historical black-and-white photo of a street scene. An improvised shop has been created using unplastered bricks and wooden poles among the metre-high rubble of destroyed buildings. Newspapers have been laid out under a tarpaulin roof. A man in dark clothes is sitting among piles of newspapers, sorting or leafing through a daily newspaper.
Improvised newspaper kiosk in Munich, c. 1946/47. Source: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek Bildarchiv, Photo: Georg Fruhstorfer

‘Zero Hour?’ Programme of Events

How was it possible that a new beginning could succeed following the devastation brought about by the Nazi era, following an unbridled frenzy for power and widespread destruction throughout Europe? Especially in Munich, the former ‘Capital of the Movement’? How was it possible for democracy to flourish? How were totalitarian legacies dealt with beyond denial and indifference? Where is the boundary between memory, repression and ideology? How did the urban society that slowly became established deal with what the new residents of Munich ‘brought with them’ and with their respective origins, culture and experiences? What was selected, what was left out, who was integrated, who was overlooked?

Answers to this question are being sought by 130 partner institutions participating in the ‘Zero Hour?’ project. In a total of more than 220 events taking place between January and May 2025, the public is invited to reflect on this and to exchange ideas; it is invited to readings, lectures, exhibitions, art events and art discussions, to tours on foot and by bike, to films and music events – around two thirds of these are free.

Explore the range of events on offer in our calendar. The entire programme of events is available as a pdf to download.

A printed brochure is available from all event partners in the Munich urban area.

If you have any questions about the programme of events, please contact us under 2025@muenchen.de