ReVilna: The Vilnius Ghetto

The DH mapping project I chose was “ReVilna”, a project that mapped out the Vilnius Ghetto. The project made use of sources such as “memoirs, archives, original Ghetto documents and artifacts, and oral and historical accounts” to construct a fascinating map of the Lithuanian ghetto. Through these sources, this interactive map allows for the construction of its narrative as it creates a connection between locations and events.

Navigation through this project is reasonably straightforward; one could view the map initially through timelines such as going through “stories”, which gave brief descriptions and timelines of events like “Formation of the Ghetto” and “Health and Education.” The map also uses an animated story that would give you a completely guided path throughout the map. There is even an option that allows you to explore the map on your own with “Explore on your Own.”

The map also uses photographic images and actual street names to cite the locations they are using for their narrative. However, it appears to be too simplistic for the project; majority of the map is gray and lack much detail other than minimal outlines of buildings and the dots of where the photos were taken at. The “stories” used for the narrative appear to lack a personal touch and focus more upon telling a broader version of the history of the ghetto. It does not delve too into the details of what has occurred. The zoom function of the project also does not function adequately as it prevented one from simply clicking on all of the various features of the map. The project is still an interesting endeavor for historians to look at. It documents one of the various ghettos in Europe during WWII that is usually packaged off as one of the countless tragedies of the time period. This map appears to be the most interesting to historians or experts of this specific topic as it assumes that you have prior knowledge of this material. I had no prior knowledge of the Lithuanian ghetto or some of the lithuanian words used.  

If they constructed an alternate map, I would recommend it to focus more on the details and fixing of the zoom function. It would also be worthwhile to compare the WWII area of the map to its current state today. It could also use personal accounts within its narration as other WWII projects do with their respective material.   

2 comments

  1. Hi! I like how you mention the lack of personal touch in the map information because when you think of “stories” you think of personal accounts full of information. It shows an example of why maps can be subjective and leave out a lot of details!

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