Ulf Zander

Heroic Images : Raoul Wallenberg as a History-Cultural Symbol

The Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg is first and foremost associated with his deeds between 1944 and 1945. His efforts, as a volunteer in Hungary, to save tens of thousands of Jews from an almost certain death in the Nazi death camps are no doubt of the greatest importance for his post-war status as a hero and role model. Another crucial aspect is that he was taken into Soviet custody in January 1945. Despite recurrent efforts during a period of 60 years, we do not know for certain what happened to him in the vast Soviet camp and prison-system. Being an opponent to one brutal dictatorship and a victim of another explains the interest in Wallenberg during the Cold War. In this piece I will not present any new research on ‘what actually happened’ to Wallenberg in Hungary and the Soviet Union. Instead, I will focus on Wallenberg’s aftermath with special reference to how the history of his efforts in Budapest has been represented in public art and in television series and films.