When does the event take place?

The event takes place on November 3, 2026, at 4 PM in the City Archive of Erlangen.

What will be shown in the exhibitions?

Historical documents and posters on everyday life, school operations, housing situation, Bergkirchweih, American military government, and the first free municipal election on May 26, 1946 will be displayed.

How much does admission cost?

Admission to the two exhibitions is free.

Where is the venue located?

The exhibitions are located in the ground floor reading room of the City Archive of Erlangen, Luitpoldstraße 47, Entrance Bernhard-Plettner-Ring, 91054 Erlangen.

Are there guided tours or education programs?

Groups can visit the exhibitions by appointment. Further guided tour offerings are not documented.

How long will the exhibitions be on display?

The two exhibitions are accessible until January 28, 2027, during the opening hours of the City Archive of Erlangen.

Discover Erlangen 1945/46: History, Everyday Life, and Democracy at the City Archive

Name: "Yesterday Must Yield to Today. Erlangen 1945/46" and "Erlangen Between End and Beginning"
Start: 2026-11-03T16:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-11-03T18:00:00+01:00
Location: Stadtarchiv Erlangen - EG Lesesaal

Erlangen Between the End of War, Everyday Life, and Democratic Renewal

Two exhibitions at the City Archive of Erlangen lead into the crucial months between the peaceful surrender of the city on April 16, 1945, and the first free municipal election on May 26, 1946. Historical documents, posters, and archival materials make visible how political, social, and everyday life was reordered after the end of World War II.

Everyday Life in Erlangen 1945 and 1946

The exhibition "Yesterday Must Yield to Today. Erlangen 1945/46" was created in collaboration with students from the Albert Schweitzer Gymnasium Erlangen. Their poster exhibition focuses on specific areas of life: the resumption of school operations, the difficult housing situation, the first Bergkirchweih after the war, and cooperation with the American military government.

The atmosphere of the exhibition is created by the connection of historical research, documentary imagery, and cultural education. Written words, posters, and contemporary historical materials open up a direct engagement with the works. The artistic experience here is not in classical painting or sculpture, but in the sensory presence of archival evidence that connects political upheavals with personal life realities.

The First Free Municipal Election After Nazi Rule

The second presentation, "Erlangen Between End and Beginning. The Municipal Election in Erlangen on May 26, 1946", is dedicated to the first democratic local election after 13 years of dictatorship. Moves in and out, population transfers, denazification measures, and the supply of a growing population shaped the initial situation.

The archival exhibition shows democracy as a demanding social process. Election materials and historical documents illustrate how closely political participation, functioning administration, and social reordering are interrelated. The curation directs attention to local history as a concrete experience and invites critical engagement with memory culture.

Historical Sources as Aesthetic Experience

Paper, typography, poster design, and documentary preservation unfold a concentrated spatial effect in the reading room. The historical engagement with the works combines art historical sensitivity with political education: forms, materials, and traces of time become as readable as the social conflicts, hopes, and decisions that are reflected in them.

Conclusion: Experience City History Live

Visitors can expect an intense art experience between archival exhibition, poster presentation, and local memory culture. Those who want to understand how Erlangen sought a path to a new everyday life and democratic self-determination after war and dictatorship will vividly, closely, and currently experience history here. The visit enriches both the aesthetic experience and the understanding of political responsibility and cultural education.