Facade

Pastel shades of green and blue, mountains on the horizon, a lake on the left side of the picture, and larger-than-life figures: figures on horses, figures on beach towels, figures in a rowboat. A German beach idyll depicted in a mural behind a facade in Freiburg. It is an idyll for young, healthy, “Aryan” bodies. Other bodies do not fit into the picture. They were systematically murdered. The mural was created between 1936 and 1939 during the Nazi era. After World War II, it was hidden behind a wall. It wasn’t until 2023 that the mural was rediscovered during renovation work for the newly founded Freiburg Documentation Center on National Socialism (DZNS). It is now part of the exhibition. For *Fassade*, the Theater Freiburg and the DZNS have joined forces. Together with director Caroline Anne Kapp, they look behind Freiburg’s façade and bring what has been hidden into the public eye: repressed stories, erased images, and lives wiped out. Together with ensemble members and the methusalems (a senior citizens’ theater group), they are creating a performative exploration of the urban space that bridges the present and the past.