Mit Tropenhelm in Thüringen Rezeption und Repräsentation Albert Schweitzers in Weimar seit 1960.

In 1968, a monument for Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) was erected in Weimar. It is presumably the fi rst of its kind honouring the doctor, theologian, and pacifi st, who was internationally renowned for his engagement in Lambaréné’s hospital in Gabon. The erection of the statue was organised by the German Democratic Republic (GDR), and, thus, represented the socialist state’s ardour and support for Albert Schweitzer. In particular, the Christian Democratic opposition party, together with its chairman Gerald Götting, sought to popularise Albert Schweitzer in the GDR. The monument though – sculpted by Gerhard Geyer in 1968 – employs a racialised imagery that contributes to a colonialist iconography of Albert Schweitzer, a phenomenon not restricted to East Germany. In Weimar – a showcase of state socialism – the monument represents a specifi c place of encounter and memorial and, thus, enacts a historical politics of remembrance. Nonetheless, common knowledge of the history of aid for Lambaréné is rare in Weimar and Eastern Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]