"be and want to be free"

For a brief period and with great vigour, the dream of freedom and justice flickered in Memmingen in the spring of 1525, even though the peasants who rose up at the time were bloodily subjugated again a short time later. There have been many such dreams in history, and over the centuries people have repeatedly fought to change their society in the hope of a better life or even a better future.

Many such struggles have changed our society for the better, and the achievements continue to have an impact. It was a long way from the Twelve Articles (1525) to the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (1949), but what has been achieved is only ever a milestone.

The exhibition "frey seyen und wöllen sein" poses the question of what goals we are pursuing as a society today. What changes are we striving for in order to preserve the best of all possible worlds in the long term and make it a place worth living in for everyone? The problems are multiplying and seem to be getting out of hand: the foundations of democratic coexistence are being threatened, social consensus is disintegrating and community cohesion is disintegrating.

An agora at the centre of the exhibition offers space for discussion and reflection, it is available for debate and discussion and offers visitors the opportunity to calm down and gather information. A monthly talk on Tuesdays deals with various freedoms and rights - including the right to equality, the right to participation and the freedom of self-determination. The monologue "Der Reichsbürger" by Annalena & Konstantin Küspert in a production by the Landestheater Schwaben (director: Klaus Philipp, actor: Felix Bronkalla) is also performed regularly in this agora.

Last edited on 10.04.2025