What Did the Germans Know?

After 1945, many Germans claimed they had known nothing about the Nazi mass murders in order to evade shared responsibility. The exhibition explores what Germans who were not directly involved and were not persecuted could actually know about the Holocaust and how they dealt with it.

It is divided into three sections: “Propaganda” shows what the regime publicly announced about the persecution and murder of the Jews. “Clues in Everyday Life” deals with rumors and unofficial news. “From Puzzle Piece to Picture” shows how individuals pieced together information to form a complete picture.

The exhibition design deliberately makes use of ample white space and blind spots to convey the fragmented nature of information gathering. The layering and overlapping of various pieces of information underscore the process of uncovering, collecting, and interpreting information.

Alongside the exhibition graphics we designed the accompanying catalogue, translating the vast archival footage into a 339 page book. The catalogue brings together all of the exhibition’s content, hundreds of documents and photographs of the time. The visual language and design elements mirror the exhibition and are reinterpreted throughout the publication.