The concept of places of memory is only around 25 years old and originates from the French historian Pierre Nora, who was influenced by Maurice Halbwachs' work on collective memory. Nora had set himself the goal of identifying "crystallisation points of our [French] national heritage" (Nora 1995) - the result was the seven-volume "Les lieux de mémoire", which contained over 130 such places and was to serve as an example for further "memory place projects" in many European countries. It was only recently that historians began to take the differences between historical research and the memory of individuals and collectives seriously. In contrast to historiography, which endeavours to be (certainly time-bound) objective, collective memory is emotional and changeable; it adapts what has been handed down to the respective present and changes the patterns of interpretation of the past largely without reflection.

It is individual memories that shape our lives and our personalities - they mould the development of every individual. This also applies to collective individuals, such as the inhabitants of a city or region or even entire nations. Because it is not only the individual who remembers, collectives also have a shared memory. According to Etienne François and Hagen Schulze, places of remembrance are "long-lasting crystallisation points of collective memory and identity that last for generations." They have been particularly popular in recent years, since historians have identified the phenomenon of the "permanent present" in a world that is increasingly focussed on the future and thinking more and more globally, which lacks "any organic connection to the past of its own lifetime" (Eric Hobsbawn).

The concept of a place of remembrance is difficult because it means much more than mere locations. Many concepts of memory emphasise the localisation of memories in space. Pierre Nora himself emphasises that collective memories manifest themselves in something, be it a place, a personality, a mythical figure, a ritual, a custom or a symbol, [i.e. they take on a form or form a conceptual topos (literally: a place) in which common associations condense]. The volumes on "German Places of Remembrance" by Etienne François and Hagen Schulze cover such diverse concepts as Wartburg Castle, the Berlin Wall, the Brandenburg Gate, Johann Sebastian Bach, Heinrich Heine, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Pickelhaube, Mitläufer, "We are the people", Hausmusik, Duden, Feierabend and Bundesliga.

The places of remembrance are identity-forming for collectives. At the same time, different social groups have very different places of remembrance. One criticism levelled at previous work is the neglect of the places of remembrance of women, workers, children, etc. There is still a lot of work to be done here. Moreover, they reach back into the past to varying degrees. Some, such as the Varus Battle, hover between memory and oblivion for thousands of years and have very different connotations. Others are primarily remembered by contemporaries and have yet to show to what extent they will last for generations. What these places of remembrance have in common is that many people associate something with them, that they categorise them as relevant to their identity. At the same time, memory can be conflictual or negatively charged and construct an identity ex negativo.

The historiographical examination of places of remembrance not only aims to contribute to bridging the gap between official historiography and collective memory, but also to trace the symbolisation and transmission of collective memory. In particular, the various interpretations and appropriations of the sites over the course of time and the elaboration of their instrumentalisation by political groups are intended to raise awareness of the manipulability of collective memory.

The region and its history form one of the frameworks for the collective memory of the people of Oldenburg. As with the projects on French and German places of remembrance, the selection of the "right" places poses the greatest difficulty. Therefore, the project contributes above all to a "self-discovery" (Pierre Nora). In addition to the topoi that are constantly updated in public discourse, it is perhaps precisely the buried, repressed and superimposed places of memory that are exciting.