The Baltic isle of Usedom attracts mostly German hedonists, who come for its abundant sunshine and beautiful beaches. Historically minded visitors—and readers of Thomas Pynchon’s nightmare novel Gravity’s Rainbow—may have trouble filtering out the region’s sinister past. It was here that the notorious Wernher von Braun developed and tested rockets for the Third Reich. Rather than whitewash the past, the German government goes out of its way to preserve cautionary memories. To further this agenda without the potential taint of corporate sponsorship, Germany’s Ministry of Economic Affairs is bankrolling (to the tune of close to a million euros) a residency by the New York Philharmonic, the orchestra’s music director Jaap van Zweden, and the blue-chip soloists Thomas Hampson (baritone), Jan Lisiecki (piano), and Anne-Sophie Mutter (violin). Apart from the ethical agenda, the visit is intended to boost Usedom’s profile as a world-class international destination. —Matthew Gurewitsch