Cultural heritage fortified monuments -
a building block in the history of the DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT in Europe

8 - 10 April 2024, Strasbourg (FR)

The history of democracy is the history of upheaval, of revolution, of the struggle for freedom and self-determination, of the struggle for participation and the involvement of all in political decision-making. Then as now, democracy must defend itself against attacks from within and without.

The FORTE CULTURA Annual Congress 2024 is dedicated to this task, because fortresses are places of democratic history.

Not infrequently, they provided a backdrop for the democracy movement and were a central component of the battles between revolutionary groups and the military; they were prisons and execution sites for revolutionary prisoners or final retreats for entire revolutionary armies.

Today, the cultural heritage of the fortified monuments is an impressive testimony to European military history. As cultural and educational sites, fortresses promote international understanding, international sentiment, and tolerance. They explain in a vivid way and in authentic places how important democracy is for our society and what happens when despotism, dictatorship or autocracy prevail.

As a European cultural route, FORTE CULTURA tells the history of fortified monuments and thus also the history of democracy. With the FORTE CULTURA Annual Congress 2024 in the EU Parliament in Strasbourg, FORTE CULTURA is setting a further example for the preservation of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.

Programme (pdf)

List of conference presentations

Greetings

• Frauke VOS-FIRNKES, Vice President FORTE CULTURA
• Anne SANDER, Member of the European Parliament
• Rafaël DEROO, Secretary general, EFFORTS - European Federaton of Fortfied Sites

Contributions

• 10 years of FORTE CULTURA - European Cultural Route of Fortified Monuments
  Dirk RÖDER, Vice President FORTE CULTURA
• History of international law and state relations in the 17th and 18th centuries
  PD Dr Bernd KLESMANN, University of Cologne/ Historischer Verein der Pfalz e.V.
• The World Heritage Site of the Vauban Sites
  Camille THOMAS, Dirketor, Réseau des sites majeurs de Vauban
• The French Revolution and its consequences for Europe
  PD Dr Wilhelm KREUTZ, University of Mannheim/ Chairman Hambach Society
• The German Confederation and its fortresses
  Frauke VOS-FIRNKES M.A., Director Stadt- und Festungsmuseum Germersheim / Historischer Verein der Pfalz e.V.
• The Call for Freedom - The Revolution in Southwest Germany 1848/49 and the Fortress Rastatt
  Dr Alexander JORDAN, Director, Museum of Military History Rastatt, FORTE CULTURA Scientific Committee
• How to teach democracy? Insight into practice
  Dr Marie PRETZSCHNER, Education and Mediation Fortress Königstein gGmbH
• Political prisons as a place of democratic history? - Königstein Fortress (Taunus) and the end of the Mainz Republic in 1793
  Dr Kai-Michael SPRENGER, Director, Foundation Places of German Democratic History
• Caesarism and Democratic Dictatorship in the 19th Century
  PD Dr Markus J. PRUTSCH, Head of Administration European Parliament
• Memorial tourism for the 20th century
  Fabienne FESSLER, Communication and press relations Alsace Destination Tourisme/ FORTE CULTURA
• The West Wall as cultural heritage - a touristic valorisation
  Martin Eric LANG M.A., West Wall-Bunker Besseringen
• Democracy and the war in Ukraine
  Oleh POHORILETS, Director, State Historical and Cultural Reserve "Medzhybizh"
• FORTE CULTURA: European cultural route of fortified monuments as a contribution to peace and democracy in Europe
  Dirk RÖDER, FORTE CULTURA / EFFORTS Europe / Liberation Route Germany

Excursion programme

Part of the FORTE CULTURA annual congresses is always an exciting excursion programme to fortified monuments in the respective region. We would like to thank the FORTE CULTURA regional network "Fortresses and defence history museums 1870 to 1999", the working group "Historical lines and fortresses on the Upper Rhine" and the "Verein der Feste Kaiser Wilhelm II" for their great support.

• Boat tour "Strasbourg, 2000 years of history"
• Fort Podbielski-Ducrot, Mundolsheim (FR)
• "Bridge walk" from Alsace across the Rhine to Baden
• Sculpture park + Neumühl camouflage bunker
• Museum bunker Emilie
• Fortress Kaiser Wilhelm II (Fort de Mutzig), Prussian fortress of superlatives

Picture gallery