Imbke Behnken, Ulrike Buchmann (eds.): Jugendverwahrlager Litzmannstadt 1942-1945. Forschungsexkursion nach Krakau und Lodz, 2025 - ein Logbuch -

This “logbook” documents a project dedicated to researching the history of the “Litzmannstadt 1942 Youth Detention Camp.” The historical context surrounding the Litzmannstadt Youth Detention Camp serves as a case study on the mechanisms of authoritarianism and the significance of historical research in relation to current developments.

With the 2025 research excursion, we travel into the past, yet with an eye toward the present and future. The excursion is a specific scholarly method that allows students to approach a subject through alternative avenues: Observation & mapping of “Litzmannstadt” (drawings, photos, interviews, video clips), on-site expert interviews (“second generation”), shifts in perspective (“inquiry-based learning”), and tracing historical traces (original documents: letters, official orders, biographies, photos, film footage, etc.).
This jointly created logbook documents this approach through various forms of expression. The field trip and logbook function as alternative notation systems and should be viewed as a supplement to traditional lecture and seminar structures.