Od/budowa Zamku Królewskiego w Poznaniu i spory o poznańską pamięć społeczną
The Re/Building of the Royal Castle in Poznań and the Dispute over Poznań’s Social Memory

Summary/Abstract: In 2010 began the re
building of the Royal Castle in Poznan´, which was demolished in 1796. The process, which was initiated by the Committee for the Rebuilding of the Royal Castle arouses strong controversy. The builders of the castle are accused of falsifying history and destroying the original remains of the old castle. However, the committee was able to reach both political and social support for the rebuilding and collect money for this aim. Due to a very long absence of the castle in the urban space and lack of any certainty as to its original outlook, the object which is being built can be called an implant of social memory. An implant of memory is an object, whose function is to construct a particular knowledge of the past, becoming the carrier of this knowledge through its own form – imitating the forms of ancient objects, buildings etc. The article focuses on the national motivations of the people who take part in the reconstruction process (members of the committee and people who support it) and also on the national motivation of the opponents of the re
building. It turns out that both parties use arguments based on the complex history of the city of Poznan´ and the rivalry between the Polish and the German national identification. To one party the castle is a symbol of Polishness while to the other – of Germanness. The motivation of the creators is largely connected with social memory whereas the motivation of the opponents with history understood as an academic discipline.

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