Stuttgart im Krieg – Alltag und Filmpropaganda

Project presentation

The Stuttgart War Film Chronicle consists of 58 films with 7800 meters of 16 mm cine film shot by cameraman Jean Lommen in Stuttgart between 1941 and 1944. This special collection, which is unique in Germany, is to be made accessible and categorized for the general public in 2025 as part of a joint project between the Stuttgart City Archive, the Stuttgarter Zeitung newspaper and the Stuttgarter Nachrichten newspaper - in continuation of the successful Stuttgart 1942 photo project. The title of the new series is "Stuttgart in the war - everyday life and film propaganda"

The films were shot with the propagandistic intention of highlighting the achievements of Stuttgart's city administration during the war years - from bunker construction to food supplies. Apparently the plan was to turn the raw material into a prestigious major Stuttgart film at a later date. This did not happen. Despite its propaganda character, the film material has a high documentary value. This is to be worked out and the National Socialist illusory world subjected to a fact check.

The project will kick off with a film and discussion evening on Wednesday, March 26, at 7 p.m. in the city archive at Bellingweg 21, where Katharina Ernst, head of the city archive, will present the project in conversation with newspaper editors Jan Georg Plavec and Felix Frey.