Keeping the Memory of the Holocaust Alive with Holograms
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The idea for the project originated during a trip to the United States by NRW Science Minister Ina Brandes last year, when she and TU President Professor Manfred Bayer visited the Illinois Holocaust Museum in Chicago and experienced how moving an encounter with Holocaust survivors through a hologram can be. This gave rise to the minister’s idea that North Rhine-Westphalia also needs such a place of remembrance and learning – a plan that immediately met with the unreserved approval of all those involved, for the Holocaust and the suffering inflicted on Jewish people continue to shape German history even 80 years after the end of the National Socialist regime of terror.
The remembrance of these atrocities, combined with the call to raise one’s voice against antisemitism and racism, remains one of the enduring tasks of German remembrance culture. “HOLO-VOICES allows Holocaust survivors to speak. We need their authentic accounts in order to gain a sense of the suffering they endured – and of the guilt borne by those who went along or remained silent,” says Ina Brandes. Because their stories and experiences make the terror of National Socialism tangible, personal encounters and conversations with eyewitnesses are of inestimable value. As only a few of them are still alive, the aim of HOLO-VOICES is to use the remaining time to preserve their stories for future generations and make them experientially accessible.
Technical and Journalistic Project Leadership at TU Dortmund University
Using modern technology, the original video recordings of eyewitnesses are projected so skillfully that the quality of the display is comparable to that of a hologram. Artificial intelligence will enable visitors to interact with Holocaust survivors and ask them questions. The AI will then determine the appropriate original response, which the eyewitnesses had previously given in interviews. At the Institute of Journalism, Dr. Susanne Wegner and Prof. Wiebke Möhring, together with student Fabia Lulis and the association ZWEITZEUGEN e. V., compiled an extensive catalogue of questions in order to conduct further interviews with Holocaust survivors in collaboration with TU Dortmund University’s media designers. The Data processing is coordinated by a team led by Prof. Mario Botsch from the Department of Computer Science. “As a leading institution of AI research, we are contributing our expertise with great commitment to enable young people to engage in dialogue with Holocaust eyewitnesses on a lasting basis. HOLO-VOICES has become an interdisciplinary research project for us. Together, experts in journalism and AI are working with historians to make a valuable contribution against antisemitism and racism,” says TU President Prof. Manfred Bayer.
The first interview has already been conducted at TU Dortmund University, namely with Eva Weyl. In 1942, she was deported to Westerbork, known as the “gateway to hell,” as it served as a transit camp to extermination camps such as Auschwitz-Birkenau. She was liberated by Canadian soldiers in 1945. “The modern technology with AI is fantastic. This way I can help ensure that history is preserved. Especially to young people I want to say: You must know the past in order to help preserve peace. Stand up against intolerance, against disrespect, and against degradation,” says the eyewitness. Two interviews conducted several years ago by the German Exile Archive 1933-1945 of the German National Library will also now be used for the hologram technology.
Supported by Foundations
Several sponsors have been secured for this project, which is unique in Europe: the RAG Foundation, the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation, and the Brost Foundation are contributing around 35 percent of the total costs of approximately 3.2 million euros. The remaining funding is being provided by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Exhibitions to Open at Zollverein in January 2026
“HOLO-VOICES – encounter • ask • pass it on” will be inaugurated on 27 January 2026, the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of National Socialism, by Minister-President Hendrik Wüst at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Zollverein. At the start of the exhibition, the holograms of Inge Auerbacher and Kurt Salomon Maier from the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 of the German National Library will be presented, accompanied by the exhibition “Request!”. In addition, the association ZWEITZEUGEN will curate the exhibition “Underground – Under Duress” on forced labor in coal mining, created in cooperation with the Ruhr Museum.
Additional Voices on HOLO-VOICES:
“Jewish people must feel safe at all times and in all places in North Rhine-Westphalia. At a time when antisemitism is rising to an alarming degree, this hologram project is a beacon. I am deeply grateful to Minister Brandes and all project partners for preserving the memories of Holocaust survivors for future generations and making them vividly accessible. HOLO-VOICES is a shining symbol of dialogue and cohesion in our society.”
“Out of historical responsibility, it is important to the RAG Foundation to preserve knowledge of the darker sides of miners’ lives as well. That is why we are convinced of this cooperative project: it provides especially young audiences with an immersive and powerful insight into the suffering caused during the Third Reich, above all by the Shoah, but also by forced labor in German coal mining. The messages conveyed by this special exhibition are more important than ever: young people must be informed and sensitized against the growing right-wing radicalization. Courageous action is needed against a resurgent antisemitism.”
“The HOLO-VOICES project is especially close to our hearts because it enables young people to experience history in a powerful way and to derive responsible action for the future from it. The Krupp Foundation has always regarded it as part of its mission to keep remembrance culture alive and to contribute to tolerance and understanding.”
“HOLO-VOICES does not strike a commemorative pose. The project provides enlightenment. Holograms continue to speak when witnesses have long since fallen silent. This is more than technology, and not a memorial either – it is resistance against ignorance and forgetting. One must know what happened, otherwise one will not recognize what may come again. Education is knowledge for survival.”
“We are delighted to be part of the learning and educational site at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Zollverein with ‘Ask!’. Especially at a time when antisemitism is on the rise again and calls for a ‘line to be drawn’ are growing louder, it is a strong signal that Minister Brandes has initiated this project.”
“The personal life stories of Holocaust survivors help young people in particular to grasp history and encourage them to take an active stand against antisemitism and discrimination today. HOLO-VOICES builds a bridge to the future: it keeps personal memories alive and accessible. We are pleased to contribute to this extraordinary project with our educational programs for young people and adults, thereby fostering a living culture of remembrance.”