In recent years, historians have turned towards the spatial dimensions of history. Space is not an empty container which can be filled with political empires, ideas, and human history, however: it plays a role in shaping human history itself. For the German context, space and landscape, while having a long history grounded in the academic discipline of geography, had been repudiated for many years after 1945 because of the National Socialist claim to spatial conquest.

This symposium aims to introduce historians to the spatial dimensions of history. Two cultural geographers will give examples of their work and contribute to the ongoing debate about the “spatial turn” and its relevance for studying history.