On the Permanence of Wars, Both Large and Small: Audio Scenes on the Everyday History of Hamburg Around the St. Nikolai Memorial, Highlighting the Persistence of Violence, Exclusion, and Discrimination in Times of War and Peace.

Amid the bustling noise of Willy-Brandt-Straße in Hamburg stands the ruin of St. Nikolai Church, which today serves as a memorial for the victims of war and persecution. Although St. Nikolai Church is a monument against war, these audio scenes aim to raise awareness of how thin the line between war and peace can be and how much violence also defines times of peace. This begins with the relationships between genders and is evident in people who seem different, do not conform to moral laws, or live on the margins of society due to poverty. The tower and ruins of St. Nikolai serve as a signpost, reminding us of events rooted in destruction, war, inhumanity, exclusion, and discrimination. At the same time, St. Nikolai urges us to treat each other with care, tolerance, and humanity.

In this spirit, the themes for the audio scenes of this tour have been selected. They take place in various historical periods, yet the topics of many scenes remain relevant today. The history of the church is a piece of the city's history and thus also the everyday history of the people of Hamburg. The church is the community's place, the center of the parish, where the feelings, thoughts, and even political and humanitarian attitudes and behaviors of people can be felt.

This tour is based on a staged performance that was conducted several times in the summer of 2010 at the St. Nikolai Memorial, featuring actors Thomas Karallus, Beate Kiupel, Herma Koehn, and Dieter Schmitt, with Rita Bake as the moderator and author of the texts. At the individual stations, images from the staged performance can be seen. The costumes of the performers were kindly provided by the Ohnsorg Theater.