Urbane Temporalitäten (un)sichtbar machen. Eine fotografische Annäherung

Abstract

How does a photograph transmit time? Starting with a photograph by Willy Römer of Berlin’s famous street Unter den Linden, the introduction to this special issue examines the multiple layers of visible and invisible time in this image from 1949. Wartime de-struction, urban renewal, seasonality, daily life, the historical streetscape – all become visible alongside the technological temporalities of photographic exposure, fixation, and preservation. The authors argue that photographs can offer a fascinating lens into the complex network of urban temporal relations. The introduction also provides an overview of the three themes discussed in the issue. The first theme centers on the no-tion of heritage and remembrance, which finds special expression in the urban recon-struction of former castles or museum spaces. The second theme discusses places of archival collecting and official commemoration where history is staged in the particu-lar contexts of urban development and nation building. In the third section, rhythm, movement and standstill demonstrate how diverse cultural practices influence our sense of urban time, a sense that should find expression in municipal politics as the fi-nal essay demands. The introduction reflects upon the wide array of topics that the es-says in this collection address as they take us to numerous places across Europe includ-ing Berlin, Budapest, Dresden, Paris, London, and Warsaw