Farewell lecture by Prof. Meier: A look at monument preservation in Weimar!

Farewell lecture by Prof. Meier: A look at monument preservation in Weimar!

On July 9, 2025, the Bauhaus University Weimar will experience an important event in the academic community of the field of monument preservation and architectural history. Professor Hans-Rudolf Meier, who has had a decisive influence on the subject for more than two decades, will give his farewell lecture. This will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the Maurice Halbwachs Auditorium, Steubenstraße 6, 99423 Weimar. University members are cordially invited to take part in the lecture and the subsequent aperitif uni-weimar.de reported.

Professor Meier studied art, history and archeology in Basel and also received his doctorate and habilitation there. After scientific positions in Zurich and Rome, he took up a professorship in Dresden in 2003 before being appointed to the Bauhaus University Weimar in 2008. Over the years he led numerous research projects, including the DFG graduate school “Identity and Heritage” and headed an international heritage center. He also served the university as Vice Rector for Research and is a sought-after member of various specialist committees, where he has advocated for thoughtful monument preservation.

Meier's research career and his successor

The chairs for monument preservation at the Bauhaus University Weimar will in future be represented by Professor Daniela Spiegel. She took up her professorship in April 2023 and has already placed a clear research focus on monument theory as well as the history of architecture and urban development of the 20th century. Her studies on urban planning concepts of Italian fascism and her perspective on the architectural and tourist heritage of the GDR bring new perspectives to the field. Example publications include “The Città Nuove des Agro Pontino” (2010) and “Holiday Dreams of Socialism” (2020), which she wrote together with other researchers, such as identity-and-heritage.org notes.

Spiegel is also a faculty member of the DFG graduate school “Identity and Heritage,” a program that addresses the challenges of dealing with uncomfortable legacy burdens. Her research aims to deepen the understanding of monument preservation within today's society and its challenges.

Course offerings and entry requirements

Another interesting aspect of the field is the master's degree in historical building research and monument preservation at the Bauhaus University Weimar. The entry requirements require a first professional university degree in related disciplines such as architecture, civil engineering or art and cultural history. Applications from abroad require proof of German language skills, although some modules are also offered in English, although this is not a condition for admission. Initial information on these modalities is described in the relevant access and admission regulations tu-berlin.de informed.