Locating the Law: Places of German Constitutional History

Panel Discussion

Wednesday October 22, 2025, 4:00–5:30 pm in Lykes Atrium (light reception to follow) 

Panelists

• Alexander Telesniuk, Constitutional Places Photographer, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
• Russell Miller, Co-author of Constitutional Places, W&L University School of Law
• Kish Parella, W&L University School of Law
• Richard Wetzell, German Historical Institute, Washington DC 

Locating the Law explores the places where Germany’s constitutional identity has taken shape—from medieval cathedrals and Enlightenment-era town halls to postwar courthouses and modern office buildings. Featuring photographs by Alexander Telesniuk and adapted from the book Verfassungorte/Constitutional Places by Russell A. Miller, Markus Lang, and Kai-Michael Sprenger, the exhibition considers how democracy is rooted not just in texts but in physical spaces and shared public memory.

Spanning over five centuries, the exhibition highlights sites where constitutions were debated, drafted, or defended. Telesniuk’s images reflect the symbolic and practical importance of these locations, reminding viewers that building and maintaining a constitutional society is a collective, ongoing effort. The project builds on an original book project funded and published by Stiftung Orte der deutschen Demokratiegeschichte (The Foundation for the Places of the History of German Democracy).

Learn more about the exhibition.

The exhibition was organized by Russell A. Miller and curated by John Gregory. Locating the Law is supported by the German Law Journal, the Frances Lewis Law Center at Washington and Lee University, and the W&L’s Departments of History, Art and Art History, and German, as well as the Law, Justice, and Society Program.