![]() ![]() Hundreds more monuments, scattered about Berlin, are available to view virtually on a large touchscreen at the beginning of the exhibit. A nearby church's "swastika bell," one of several church bells bearing the Nazi-era symbol that have caused a stir in Germany in recent years, has made its way to the exhibit, along with former East Germany’s Memorial to Victims of Fascism and Militarism, from 1969. Of the approximately 100 pieces spread across several rooms, only a few deal with Germany’s Nazi and Cold War periods. The Siegesallee statues were the exhibit's impetus and remain its centerpiece. Read more: Scrap heap or showpiece - What to do with cancelled 'hero' statues? They had to be recovered, partially restored and moved again for the exhibit. Those that survived were moved, hidden or buried. The area and its monuments were heavily damaged in WWII, and some were destroyed. Today, Siegesallee is a path through the Tiergarten park. You can never say, 'this is the single correct way and now we're done with it,'" says Citadel Berlin museum director Urte Evert Image: DW/W. "Every single monument needs to be constantly discussed anew. Although most pre-date Germany’s unification in 1871 and the empire that followed, their construction and placement was an imperial project, meant to boast German power and prestige. There were dozens of them, lining both sides of the way, depicting centuries of Germanic political and religious rulers. Many of the monuments on display were originally located along the Siegesallee, a prominent north-south boulevard constructed by imperial decree around the turn of the 20th century. And I hope we can do something with that by making these works accessible as they are." "Instead, we can show that there is anger, sadness, even violence. "It's an opportunity to not forget this history, to not let it disappear," says Urte Evert, who has been the museum director since 2017. Many of them are now displayed at the Citadel, a 16th-century fortress in Berlin's western district of Spandau that was used by the German army during WWII to test chemical weapons. Now the Citadel is a historical site and a museum, where monuments reside in a sort of statue purgatory - neither destroyed nor revered, they instead comprise the exhibit "Unveiled: Berlin and its monuments," open to visitors since 2016. Shortly after the end of World War II, the Allied powers occupying Berlin ordered the removal of monuments to Germany's national and military character. The push to do so, however, did not start with victims of oppression taking to the streets, but rather with victors over oppression occupying them. Long before protesters in Bristol, England, rolled a statue of 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston into the river, Berlin was grappling with what to do with monuments from a complicated past. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |