Marek Kohn | The Stories Old Towns Tell: A Journey Through Cities at the Heart of Europe

Name: Marek Kohn | The Stories Old Towns Tell: A Journey Through Cities at the Heart of Europe
Start: 2025-10-30T14:00:00+00:00
Location: The Beacon, Wantage

Schedule

Thu, 30 Oct, 2025 at 02:00 pm

UTC+00:00

Location

The Beacon, Wantage | Wantage, EN

The Stories Old Towns Tell: A Journey Through Cities at the Heart of Europe, features the historic quarters at the hearts of cities across Europe. Old towns tell stories: of past glories, of power and pride, of war, heroism, destruction, and rebirth. Many were devastated in the Second World War, posing questions about whether and how they should be rebuilt. In Warsaw, architects who had served in the anti-Nazi underground worked to reconstruct the old town, which had been completely destroyed, in its former image. In Germany, many cities opted to leave the past erased. Across central Europe, from Frankfurt to Vilnius, old towns have been edited and rewritten ever since, telling particular stories about identity and history, while obscuring or downplaying others.
Marek Kohn is a science writer, holds degrees in neurobiology and has written extensively on topics such as diversity, identity, nationalism, and the social implications of science.
The event will be followed by a question and answer session and book signing.