Copper, Gold and Resistance - Photo reportage by Michael Würtenberg (Foyer, Aarau City Museum)
24.03.2026 | from Aarau City Museum
Reading time: 2 minutes
Image rights: Stadtmuseum Aarau
Photographer: Michael Würtenberg
24.03.2026, At the heart of Michael Würtenberg's long-term photo reportage are the tensions in Serbia: between economic progress and ecological disaster, the peaceful resistance of youth, and Western Europe's global responsibility in Serbia.
Michael Würtenberg has been traveling to Serbia for several years to document the extraction of raw materials, the resulting environmental damage, and the population's resistance against it. Monumental landscape images vividly show the human impact on nature. The first series of images takes us to Eastern Serbia, to the cities of Majdanpek and Bor, home to the second-largest copper deposits in Europe. Other images depict Smederevo, a city covered in a red dust layer from the steelworks, and the Jadar Valley, where the planned lithium extraction is sparking local opposition.
In his photo reportage, Würtenberg also captures the weekly demonstrations against corruption, ongoing since the collapse of the train station canopy in Novi Sad in November 2024. He also focuses on the 'Belgrade Waterfront' project, where people protest against the radical transformation of a historic district. Through his portraits, Würtenberg gives a voice to those resisting. Their stories and motivations are documented in the exhibition's accompanying leaflet.
"When I take a picture that 'resonates', as I say, I feel: This is more than a photo. It is a link between the people in Serbia and those visiting the exhibition. I want visitors not only to see beautiful pictures but to leave with new thoughts - perhaps even with the impulse to question their own consumption habits."
Michael Würtenberg
The photographer lives in Küttigen and is part of the regular network meetings of regional photographers at the Aarau City Museum.
"Copper, Gold and Resistance" - Photo reportage by Michael Würtenberg
March 28 to April 19, 2026, in the foyer of the Aarau City Museum (free entry)
Lunch with short tour
Tuesday, March 31, 2026, 12–1:15 PM
Public guided tour
Sunday, April 19, 2026, 2 PM
Meret Radi
Team Leader, Secretariat Services
Aarau City Museum
Schlossplatz 23
5000 Aarau
Direct tel. 062 836 02 54 (Tue, Thu, Fri)
staja.ch
Editor's note: Image rights belong to the respective publisher. Image rights: Stadtmuseum Aarau / Photographer: Michael Würtenberg
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Aarau City Museum
The collection of the Aarau City Museum comprises around 60,000 objects of very different quality: furniture, photographs, posters, graphics, precious objects, everyday items, and technical cultural assets, mainly from the 18th to the 20th century. Because of its former history as a residential museum, furniture forms a significant focus.
The Aarau City Museum has been housed in the formerly known 'Schlössli' since 1939, initially under the name 'Alt Aarau'. The massive tower built of large stone blocks in the 13th century, located outside the city, underwent various extensions and additions at different times. In 1971, old residential and commercial buildings in front of the tower were demolished to create a terrace that gives the 'Schlössli' a free-standing appearance in the cityscape. However, its entrance was somewhat hidden, off the Schlossplatz, at the end of the terrace.
The museum mainly consisted of furnished, museum-like rooms with few spaces for exhibitions. Therefore, since its founding in 1992, the Society for the Promotion of the City Museum sought to remedy this deficiency through an extension, which was to expand the museum's functions. Following a corresponding report, five architectural firms were invited for a design commission in 2006, with the aforementioned terrace as the intended site for the expansion.
With the extension and its reopening in 2015, the Aarau City Museum began an important repositioning: the leading media of the 20th century – photography and film – and the new digital visual worlds are at the center of exhibitions, educational offerings, and collaborations. Part of this realignment is the partnership with the Aargau State Archives, focusing on the 'Focus Ringier Image Archive'.
Note: The "About Us" text is taken from public sources or from the company profile on HELP.ch.
Source: Aarau City Museum, Press release
Original article published on: «Kupfer, Gold und Widerstand» - Fotoreportage von Michael Würtenberg (Foyer, Stadtmuseum Aarau)