Over the course of time, numerous historic events and developments have been falsified, transfigured and exploited for contemporary, not least political interests. The contributions to this volume examine and decypher such historical myths on the basis of surviving written, archaeological and art historical sources and attempt to explain the origin of historic images and legends. The topics range from the early Middle Ages to the 20th century and comprise the founding myths of cities, knowledge of foreign cultures in the Middle Ages as well as the self-perceptions of population groups, enemy images and national symbolism, but also prejudices concerning eating habits, the influence of advertising and the content of historic novels. Notable historians, archaeologists and museum experts wrote these contributions on the occasion of the 75th birthday of Jörgen Bracker, long-standing director of the Hamburg museum and novelist.

Dr. Ortwin Pelc, Historiker, ist seit 1995 Abteilungsleiter für das 19. und 20. Jahrhundert und Jüdische Geschichte am Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte.