Remembered

This is a memorial to Georg Elser, the lesser-known attempted assassin of Adolf Hitler. A German biopic on Elser came out a few years ago and I recently watched it. I had heard of the man before, but his attempt on Hitler's life has just never been as widely publicized as von Stauffenburg.

This message can be found just steps away from Elser's profile. It reads, "that the conditions in Germany could only be changed by eliminating the current leader." True words... More signs can be found at Signs, Signs.

Tag der Deutschen Einheit

Today is German Unity Day, and I don't think there's any better way to celebrate on this blog than with a look at some of the artwork from the East Side Gallery. When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, international artists were invited to come paint messages of peace on this piece of inner wall which remains on the border of Kreuzberg/Friedrichshein. The section that was painted is the actual "East" side of the wall. In the divided days, no one on that side would have been able to get close enough to touch the wall, let alone paint it. The murals are now a protected landmark and some of them are undergoing refurbishment. As always, you'll find more murals at Monday Mural.

July theme day: Look down

If you keep your eyes to the ground when walking through Bebelplatz near the Gendarmenmarkt, you won't be able to miss the Memorial to the Nazi Book Burning. The empty bookshelves represent the universities and libraries that were emptied of all "un-German" works and publicly burned in the square on May 10, 1933. 

I took this photo in the evening when the room is brightly lit and creates a stark contrast to the black night. The memorial was created by Israeli artist, Micha Ullman. It's a stark reminder of those terrible times. As people would later learn, the words of Herman Hesse rang true, "Where they burn books, they will ultimately also burn people." 

Another month has rolled around. Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian readers! Don't forget to take a look here for more interpretations on this month's theme.

PS: For the moment, I'm posting more often at Halcyon Travels. Stop by and take a look!

Remember

A cross memorializes victims at the Wall Memorial near Bernauer Straße. Such a strange time in history and it wasn't really so long ago. I'm linking this one with Tuesday Treasures.

Memorial

A memorial to victims of the National Socialist regime near the Reichstag. For more signs, take a look at Signs, Signs.

Unknown

Most of my posts lately come from my archives and I'm sorry to admit I can't find any additional information on this statue. I think it was taken somewhere near the Heinrich Heine Straße U-bahn station. I hope you'll enjoy it anyway! You'll find more interesting finds at Tuesday Treasures.

Another Kollwitz

We're on a Käthe Kollwitz roll! This is proabably her best known sculpture, depicting a mother cradling her dead son in her arms. Kollwitz had personal experience with the loss of a child, her own son died in battle during WWI.

This work stands inside the Neue Wache just off Unter den Linden. It's a monument to all victims of war and tyranny. It's really a beautiful and moving monument and Kollwitz's work is the perfect fit. I've featured other works of hers previously here.

I am so happy the weekend is finally here. Do you have any plans? I'm going to a birthday party on Saturday and will maybe play some golf on Sunday. Hope you have something fun to look forward to too!

Cemetery gate

Here's a look at the entrance to Weißensee Cemetery. I just love the intricate work on the wrought iron gate. As you come inside, you see the inscribed stone that I showed you earlier in the week.

There are also a number of other memorials, like this one to victims of the National Socialist regime who were tried at killed at the Plötzensee Prison in Berlin. 

There was also this more general memorial made up of a marble star of David and a myriad of white stones. Very appropriate for a Jewish cemetery. 

I am so glad Friday is finally here. I've been feeling under the weather this week and there's a lot going on with my new job, so I'm ready for a few days of rest. What about you, do you have any big plans for the weekend, or are you going to just take it easy? Whatever you have on your calendar, I hope it's fun! And don't forget to take a look at Good Fences for more gates and fences.

Larger than life

Here is a likeness of the man himself, Ernst Thälmann. It's only unfortunate that his life and death became a kind of propaganda story for the communist party of the DDR. I am not sure he would have agreed with all of the practices and policies of the German communist party that re-emerged after the war.

I also find it unfortunate that his memorial is covered with graffiti and broken beer bottles. Perhaps he'll never get the respect he deserves as a man who lived and died for his ideals.

PS: Don't forget to take a look at Halcyon Travels for more from my trip to Israel.

Memoria Urbana Berlin

This beautiful dome structure celebrates freedom of conscience and immigration. It stands on the ground of the former Bethlehem Church which was a center of worship for religious outcasts from Bohemia who were invited to resettle in what was then Prussian Berlin by Frederick William I.

Unfortunately, the original church was destroyed during the bombings of WWII, but this monument entitled Memoria Urbana Berlin was erected as a temporary art installment in 2013. It was so well-received that local administrators got permission to make it permanent. With the recent wave of immigrants and refugees to Germany, I find this memorial even more poignant. We need only to look to the past to help shape the future.

I hope you have a blue sky weekend ahead of you. It's looking a bit gray and cloudy here, but we've had such a spectacular fall, I can hardly complain. You'll find more skies at Skywatch.


PS: Don't forget to stop by Halcyon Travels for a look at my recent trip to Israel.

One Berlin

I was out and about around Bernauer Strasse recently. The street was a major dividing point in the old East and West days. Homes and churches were torn down here because they stood in the way of The Wall. Today there is a Wall Memorial that runs along a long stretch of the street. The Memorial shows what life was like in the divided city through photos and personal accounts.

Bernauer Strasse was one of the few places where Easterns and Westerners could "meet up" again. Here we see a mother and father lifting their twin babies high in the air so that family in the East would get to know them. 

A Western couple was smart enough to bring a ladder, so they would have a better view of their loved ones in the East. I find it so hard to imagine what life must have been like for people then, and it's not even that long ago - only twenty-five years! 

It's Monday again and you'll find more murals at Monday Mural.

The monumental monument

As promised, here is a look at the Soviet War Memorial. I hope the people and the little biker give you an idea of the scale of this sculpture - it's massive!

The sculpture was created by Soviet artist Yevgeny Vuchetich and alledgedly represents the true store of a Soviet soldier who risked heavy machine gun fire to save a young German child during the Battle of Berlin. In reality, the Soviets ransacked the city of Berlin when they marched in, raiding homes and businesses for anything of value. Rape and abuse was also rampant during that time and it is said there is a whole generation of children who were conceived during that violent time.

Here's a look back on the rest of the memorial park from atop the plinth of the statue. The whole thing is a little too grandiose and pompous for my taste. I know bad things happen during wars, but it's hard for me to accept this view of history. I'm still glad I made the trip out to see it though.

Memorial mural

We are back to Treptower Park and the Soviet War Memorial. This mosaic is actually inside the monument (which really is monumental) itself. I'll show it to you tomorrow. Until then, you can find more murals at Monday Mural.

Impromptu memorial

Visitors to any of the major European cities have probably encountered a Stolperstein or two, but I have never seen one graced with flowers and candles before.

Friends or family of Bertha Pohl must have passed by and left this little impromptu memorial. I rather like it - it certainly caught my eye and made me remember how grateful we should be for our happy and carefree lives. It wasn't so long ago that people were persecuted just for being who they were. It was a dark period of German history that I am glad is over, but one that we must never forget.

Victims

I visited the Gedenkstatt für die Opfer von Terror und Gewaltherrschaft (Memorial for victims of terror and oppression) awhile back. Something about seeing these names listed on a cold tablet made me really sad. If only memorials like this could really convey something of the people who died - their lives, their stories... 

Volkspark Wilmersdorf

This is a stone to commemorate the Association of the Volkspark Wilmersdorf. I found it during a recent walk and thought it was worthy of a picture! Hope you enjoy it too.
  
PS: I've got another beautiful Viennese cafe up on my travel blog. You can see it here.

Heinrich Mann

Heinrich Mann was the older brother of better-known author Thoman Mann, although he was also a successful writer in his own right. He was a vocal critic of the National Socialist party and fled to France in the early 1930s. Once France capitulated, he made his way through Europe and finally settled with other German emigrants (inlcuding Bertholt Brecht and Helene Weigel) in Santa Monica, California. Unfortunately he died just before he was to return to his homeland, but later his ashes were transported to East Berlin. He is buried in Friedhof Dorotheenstadt next to his old friends Brecht and Weigel.

Leaves scattered

From the Gleis 17 Memorial at Grunewald station. It's a simple, yet poignant reminder of this terrible time in history. For more signs, visit Signs, Signs.

An Italian in Berlin

The Carlos Giuliano Park is not far from the Mauer Garden which I showed you earlier this week. I did a little research and found that Carlos Giuliani was an Italian man who was shot and killed during G8 protests in Genoa, Italy in 2001. I'm not sure why there is a park named after him in Berlin, but there it it! You'll find more information on Giuliani here. And you can get your weekly sign fix at Signs, Signs.

Balloons in black and white

You may not be able to tell, but this photo is black and white. The Brandenburg Gate is off in the distance.