Our city and its history have been shaped by migration. Our focus is on researching Munich’s history of migration since 1945 and, in this respect, on establishing a multi-perspectival, transnational culture of remembrance.
Two current projects are presented here.
Munich // Verona
In search of common stories
A project on the history of migration from Italy to Munich, to run from October – December 2025
Historical migration movements are inherent to urban development, as reinforced in Erol Yildiz’s succinct phrase ‘city is migration’. In the project ‘In search of common stories: Munich // Verona’ that is to span both cities, we invite you to focus on migration from Italy to Munich (to run from October–December 2025)
A close retrospective look not only reveals new stories that have so far received little attention in the urban narrative but also furthers a post-migrant understanding of Munich’s social fabric.
The city of Munich is marked by a long history of migration from Italy. Italian migrants have made a decisive contribution to the city’s development since the 17th century. In addition to plasterers and master builders, the numerous Italians who worked in the brick factories in the east of Munich at the beginning of the 20th century should also be mentioned in this respect. The German-Italian Labour Recruitment Agreement of 1955 led to a further sharp increase in the number of Italian migrants from the end of the 1950s onwards.
The recruitment agreement also represents the start of a history of immigration that continues to this day. This is, however, not reflected in the collective memory to date. The aim of this project is to incorporate different perspectives between the places of origin and the places of arrival and to define these within the urban space.
Through the series of events ‘In search of common stories Munich // Verona’, an initial impetus for a shared culture of remembrance will be given. The twin cities of Munich and Verona are central to the recollection of an Italian-German history of migration. They were the principal places of departure, arrival and transit for Italians during the state-organised recruitment of workers between 1955 and 1973.
Click here to access the blog: ‘Migration erinnern: Auf der Suche nach den gemeinsamen Geschichten’ (Remembering migration: In search of shared stories).
50th anniversary of the Migration Advisory Council in the Bavarian Capital of Munich
In 2024, Munich celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Migration Advisory Council – an institution, committed to the rights and interests of migrants in Munich for five decades that has significantly shaped change and diversity in the city.
From its beginnings in the 1970s to the current role of the Migration Advisory Council, this publication documents how the council has influenced city policy and improved the living conditions of migrants. It addresses political participation, the fight against racism and specific challenges such as housing and education.
Nevertheless, despite these successes, many challenges remain. What role will the Migration Advisory Council play in the future? How can the rights of migrants be safeguarded in times to come? Questions whose answers are of crucial importance to the future of a diverse urban society.
To view the publication: “Wir haben doch einiges bewegen können”. 50 Jahre Migrationsbeirat der Landeshautpstadt München,
by Marquart, Vivienne | Prontera, Grazia | Zölls, Philip
Videos
30 video clips related to the publication were also created by Public History Munich.
Trailer with video interviews related to the 50th anniversary of the Migration Advisory Council (YouTube)
All video interviews for the publication can be accessed here:
Playlist for video interviews (YouTube)
The series of publications
The first book in this series was published in 2018 in cooperation with the Stadtarchiv München and the Münchner Stadtmuseum to accompany the research project ‘Migration moves the City’ that has been running since 2015.