A historic symbol of German exile culture in Los Angeles has survived a new threat.

During the devastating 2025 wildfires, Wende Museum director Justin Jampol helped rescue artworks and archives from Villa Aurora, the former home of German-Jewish writer Lion Feuchtwanger, who fled Nazi persecution.

Today, the landmark hosts artists and scholars from Germany.

Visitors including journalist Miriam Meckel and German Culture Commissioner Wolfram Weimer say Villa Aurora remains a vital place for free expression and independent thought at a time when cultural freedoms face growing pressure worldwide.