Appropriation of Spaces in East Prussia During the 20th C. Has the Time for Comparative Research Already Come?

On the basis of the research papers in the present collection, the author focuses on the issue of how specificthe symbolic appropriation of the former East Prussian territories (and primarily cities, such as Kaliningrad,Olsztyn, and Klaipėda) was as compared to the expression of the process in other Lithuaniancities, such as Vilnius, Kaunas, and Šiauliai. The article discusses the role of capital cities as standardsfor building the cultures of remembrance in regions, the role of national (or communist) symbols asinstruments of symbolic appropriation, and the impact of the communication milieus that formed andmaintained the cultures of remembrance in cities. The author identifies the similarities and differences inthe processes of symbolic appropriation of Klaipėda, Kaliningrad, Olsztyn, and Vilnius.KEY WORDS: appropriation of space, cultures of remembrance, national myth, communication milieu,East Prussia, Vilnius. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15181/ahuk.v24i0.29