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New project in Essen: Holograms give Holocaust survivors a voice!
“Holo-Voices”, an interactive place of remembrance for Holocaust survivors, is being created in Essen. Opening on January 27, 2026.
New project in Essen: Holograms give Holocaust survivors a voice!
An innovative place of remembrance dedicated to Holocaust survivors is being created at the Zollverein mine in Essen. The project, which goes by the name “Holo-Voices”, will open next year and is intended to make a significant contribution to refreshing and preserving the culture of remembrance. The announcement of this ambitious project was recently published by the North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of Culture and Science. The background is extensive conversations with Jewish contemporary witnesses, whose haunting stories were documented by the German Exile Archive of the German National Library. Deutschlandfunk culture reports that the survivors are depicted photorealistically in three-dimensional holograms.
A special feature of this project is the use of artificial intelligence, which allows visitors to ask questions and enter into dialogue with the holograms. Appropriate original answers from previous interviews with contemporary witnesses are provided - an impressive connection between technology and memory that shows how important it is to keep the voices of survivors alive. The official opening will take place on January 27, 2026, a symbolic date dedicated to the victims of National Socialism.
Preserve the voice of contemporary witnesses
The role of contemporary witnesses is indispensable in commemorating the Holocaust, all the more so as fewer survivors can tell their stories themselves. That's why the LediZ (Learning with Digital Certificates) project at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich pursues similar goals. Digital implementations of Holocaust survivors have been created there since 2008. These testimonies, captured in 3D, are available for school lessons and offer young people the opportunity to directly engage with these important historical stories. As the Science reports, students can ask questions via microphone or text input and receive answers selected from up to 1000 possible reactions.
An interactive experience is created by an AI-supported system that converts the oral questions into text and retrieves corresponding video sequences from the contemporary witnesses. Such innovative formats are significantly more interactive than traditional video recordings, which are often one-sided and do not allow for questions. By involving young people in these narrative immersions, the complex background and consequences of the Holocaust can be experienced.
The importance of these projects is underscored by the global demand for such interactive experiences. In addition, the contemporary witnesses tell their stories and share their experiences not only in German, but also in translations that appeal to a broader audience. For example, Abba Naor's Memoirs has also been given English subtitles to achieve greater reach. Such measures help ensure that the survivors' message continues to be heard.
At a time when the number of survivors is steadily decreasing, “Holo-Voices” powerfully shows how modern technology and human stories can be intertwined. Combining historical storytelling and interactive experiences will play a central role in preserving the collective memory of the Holocaust for years to come.