Kurt Messmer
Kurt Messmer is a freelance historian with a focus on history in public space.

8. July 2020

Women in history | War/battle | 20th / 21st century | Politics | Society | Article | Featured

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Sempach 1940 – Souvenir des internés français

In 1940, General Guisan stood on the battlefield and called for resistance. Meanwhile, French internees wanted to sing the Marseillaise. Yet again, women were responsible for their welfare. ‘Allons les femmes de la patrie.’

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8. May 2020

War/battle | History factory | Art | 20th / 21st century | Politics | Culture | Article | Featured

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Extreme pictures from extreme times

Two German painters, contemporaries, reacted to the ‘age of catastrophe’ of 1914-1945 in very different ways. One painted a harsh and objective depiction of the world he saw. The other persisted in a rural idyll. Both approaches are political.

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13. March 2020

Modern Age | Politics | Economy | Article | Featured

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Jakob Fugger – Money and spirit around 1500

Augsburg: a descendant of a rural weaver became Europe’s most prominent merchant, mining entrepreneur and banker, despite the Bible’s prohibition of usury. A biography sheds light on an era of history – and vice versa.

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