
The New Guard (Neue Wache) in Berlin is an evolving war memorial, steeped in tragic history and aimed at catharsis. Its refined aesthetic and profoundly humanist, universal message make it a great success.
A Visit to Berlin's New Guard Is a Must. It Is Also a Personal Favorite.
The period from 1789 to 1815 was marked by countless European wars, as a consequence of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic adventure. It ushered in the age of nations, when the ambitions of princes gave way to the interests of peoples aware of belonging to the same cultural and geographical sphere. For the Germans, the question of national identity was highly complex. The Holy German Empire no longer existed, and the Europe of the Congress of Vienna bore the seeds of future opposition between Austria and Prussia. Added to this were strong local particularisms and the absence of territorial unity.
Prussia took advantage of the general feeling to capture the hearts and minds of this nascent nationalism. In Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate quadriga, confiscated by Napoleon's armies, returned to the city. On this occasion, the Germanic war cross and the imperial eagle appeared on the scepter of the Goddess of Peace. She will become the embodiment of Victory. In 1816, another innovation was launched: the construction of a memorial to fallen soldiers. The monument was designed by the brilliant architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel and inaugurated two years later. The place is not a place for remembrance: on the contrary, it celebrates the armies as guarantors of the national ideal. Military parades and the ceremonial guard of honor consolidate this narrative.
Under the Weimar Republic, conceptual innovations broke with the imperial tradition, but fundamentally the glorification of the soldier remained unchanged. The National Socialist era remilitarized the space with the Guard of Honor to pay homage to the soldiers of world conflicts. The GDR maintained this military presence after the building was restored in 1945, in the name of the fight against fascism and Prussian militarism. With German reunification, the focus shifted to the plight of civilians suffering the misfortunes of war.

An Extraordinary Setting
Located at the entrance to Unter den Linden, the New Guard is at the heart of the German capital. Its proximity to the Brandenburg Gate, Gendarmenmarkt, Museum Island and Alexanderplatz makes it accessible to the greatest number of people. The building takes on the exterior appearance of a Greco-Roman temple. Although the facade was severely damaged during the war, the whole has been very well restored and the overall aesthetic is satisfactory. On the terreplein, flagpoles bear the national and European colors. This time, the guard of honor has disappeared, replaced by a simple guard. The entrance doors under the colonnade are wide open: the New Guard is freely accessible.
The interior is reduced to a large square square below, covered with small, dark cobblestones. The walls are empty. No other color disturbs the austerity and solemnity of the place. Indeed, many visitors are reluctant to cross the landing into the center of the room. Facing them, a statue stands alone, indecipherable at first glance. It depicts a woman curled up on top of a man, revealing a mother mourning her child who died in the war. In the silence and half-light, the woman's pitiful appearance calls for empathy and compassion. The mother then takes on the figure of the Virgin Mary and becomes a Pietà in her own right. The work is a copy of a work by Berlin artist Käthe Kollwitz, whose son was killed in the First World War.
The statue stands beneath a skylight. The ceiling has been pierced, leaving the woman and her dead child unprotected, prey to the weather. When it rains, the rain pours down on the statue. When it snows, the woman cracks under the flakes and looks even more miserable. When night falls, the subdued lighting covers her in silvery reflections, and the statue appears chromed, almost divine. At the foot of this moving scene, an inscription in German announces: To the Victims of War and Tyranny.

An Intimate, Universal Message
In its current configuration, Berlin's New Guard is a model of adaptation, intelligence and staging. By focusing on the suffering of wartime populations, it makes its message accessible to all, and everyone can make it their own, whatever their nationality, culture or language. Unlike the monuments in Europe's major capitals, it rejects the traditional tribute to armies, military victory, the unknown soldier and those who died for the Fatherland or Freedom. War only brings misery, distress and despair.
The staging around the skylight is remarkable, but we owe it to the Weimar Republic, which pierced the building's ceiling. On the other hand, each political regime chose its own aesthetic, reflecting its own ambitions, ideas and concepts. The Kingdom of Prussia and the Empire glorified the nation and the army: nationalism and militarism. The disarmed Republic paid tribute to its valiant soldiers, while National Socialism glorified sacrifice for the survival of the race. The GDR was no exception to this pattern, condemning (West) German nationalism. Historical upheavals called for a renewal of national discourse. German reunification took the form of repentance, the promise of national renewal, but also the moral guarantee that today's Germany would be different from its predecessors.
The New Guard in Berlin is the place where today's German identity is discovered. Everything is allegory and interpretation: what does it mean to be German in the 21st century? Accessibility first, with full, free admission. Then there's humility, with a tribute concealed indoors when other war memorials are out in the open, for all to see and hear. And finally, universalism, to better demonstrate the diversity of German society. Added to this is a solemn aesthetic that takes visitors to task, the better to challenge them and, why not, make them take responsibility in the name of a democratic ideal.
Reasons to Visit
A moving aesthetic
A message for everyone
An open, intimate space
Reasons to Skip
Disrespectful tourist groups
No on-site contact person
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