The quality of a memorial is not determined by its theme, completeness or historical importance. A memorial is first and foremost a personal and artistic work: how can we pass on to our contemporaries a memory that does not (yet) belong to them? Some memorials are conventional; others impress with their unsuspected depth. Here are the 10 best memorials in Berlin.
1. Spiegelwand in Steglitz
This memorial to the victims of the Shoah is discreet. Its reflective surface makes it virtually invisible: it blends completely into the landscape. The memory of those who perished remains present, but fades away to allow others to continue their personal journey. Those who wish to remember can do so. Spiegelwand is a philosophical work in its own right, and successfully conveys the perspective of emptiness.
2. Gleis 17 in Grunewald
The memorial Gleis 17 has an emotional power almost unrivalled in Berlin. During the Second World War, most of the German capital's Jews were deported from this station. Today, the memorial soberly evokes the death convoys, without photos or superfluous or disabling text. It thus invites intense introspection, creating an intimate relationship between the visitor and this station from which no train will ever again depart.
3. Jewish Museum in Kreuzberg
Das Jüdische Museum in Berlin ist keine Gedenkstätte im eigentlichen Sinne. Seine Ausstellungen stellen die Geschichte des Judentums in Deutschland auf informative und pädagogische Weise dar. Seine gequälte Architektur weckt jedoch Emotionen und regt zum persönlichen Nachdenken an. Der Holocaust-Turm und der Garten des Exils sind die Höhepunkte dieser sinnlichen Erfahrung. Ein sehr großer Erfolg für ein außergewöhnliches Konzept, das sich mit den besten Gedenkstätten in Berlin messen kann.
4. Homosexual Memorial in Tiergarten
The Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted under National Socialism is surprising in more ways than one. Its design invites the curious visitor to peer inside the memorial stele and confront his or her own prejudices. Become a witness to an act of love freely consented to, but still denigrated, if not persecuted, in many parts of the world. The memorial is the perfect link between history and memory.
5. Missing House in Mitte
In the former Jewish quarter of Scheunenviertel, memories of the Shoah flood the public space, often intrusively. The memorial at the Maison Manquante, on the other hand, stands in the perspective of emptiness. It stands in a gaping hole between two buildings. On the walls appear the identities and occupations of the former inhabitants of this house, destroyed during the war. Some of them were deported. This discreet, pioneering memorial raises the question of how the Holocaust is represented.
6. Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Mitte
A symbol of the new German identity, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is an excellent example of how a nation can continue to move forward, without falling into denial or fetishism. The concept of interpretation is pushed to the limit, leaving everyone free to remember or not. This highly intelligent work brilliantly raises the issue of emptiness as a moral marker of society. A must-see in Berlin.
7. Memorial to the German Army in Tiergarten
Despite its practically non-existent visuals, the German Army Memorial is surprisingly innovative, with a concept that stands in stark contrast to conventional military tributes. No heroic statues, names carved in marble or patriotic inscriptions: esprit de corps dominates in a surprising play of light, conducive to meditation. The memorial questions the myth of the eternal soldier, and clearly reflects the debates on new representations of memory in Germany.
8. Path of the Berlin Wall
At the site of the former Berlin Wall, a double row of cobblestones now lies on the ground. This demarcation line blends into the new reality of the capital's urban spaces. Visitors often cross it without even noticing. This memorial allows us to live in the present, to remember the German division and to show the achievements made since Reunification. It also discreetly highlights the futility of certain borders.
9. Sunken Library in Mitte
The Sunken Library Memorial stands in the middle of a busy square. The memory of Hitler's auto-da-fés takes the form of an underground library, emptied of its books. This void illustrates the death of diversity and tolerance. Because it is so discreet, many pass by the memorial without even noticing it. However, the lack of visibility is a choice, and avoids the need for constant reminders. An exemplary work of great intelligence.
10. Berlin Wall Memorial in Wedding
So as not to water down its purpose, the Berlin Wall Memorial sets out to distort the historical veracity of the site. Indeed, the outer wall has been sanitized, with no graffiti left, and the former border zone has not been fully reconstructed. The void appears threatening, inaccessible. This exceptional achievement captures the reality of German division at its coldest and most impersonal: raw and abrupt.
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