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 Herbert Baum Memorial - Berlin, Germany
N 52° 31.104 E 013° 24.036
33U E 391476 N 5819900
A memorial for Herbert Baum and Friends - a group of young Berlin people resisting Nazi dictatorship
Waymark Code: WMZXE6
Location: Berlin, Germany
Date Posted: 01/18/2019
Views: 7
Herbert Baum |
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The Gruppe Herbert Baum was a group of about 100 young people in the 1930s in the capital of Nazi-Germany. Some of them were Jewish, some of them were Communists, some of them were Christians - they were all united by one idea: to actively resist Nazi dictatorship.
Operating deep under cover, member distributed leaflets arguing against National Socialism and assisted Jews hiding from the Nazis.
Leader of the group was Herbert Baum, a young, active member of different left wing and Jewish youth organizations, including the Young Communist League of Germany. Other leaders were his wife Marianne as well as their friends Martin and Sala Kochmann.
In 1942, Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels organized an exhibition called The Soviet Paradise. It was a propaganda show that presented the Soviet Union as a state under "under Jewish-bolshevik rule", ridden by "poverty, misery, depravity and need."
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On 18 May 1942, Herbert Baum's group carried out an arson attack on the exhibition. However, at the time, the group had already been infiltrated by Nazi collaborators and withing days, more than 50 members of the group, including its leaders were arrested. 20 of them were sentenced to death.
Herbert Baum was tortured to death in Moabit Prison, dying on June 11, 1942. His wife, as well as Martin and Sala Kochmann and many other members of the group were executed in the weeks following the arrest.
In 1981, East Berlin's communist administration ordered a monument for the group. It was designed by sculptor Jürgen Raue. In communist tradition, the text on the monument prominently points out Baum's membership in the Young Communist League but makes no mention of the political, cultural and ethnic diversity of the resistance group.
The text reads:
Unforgotten are the heroic acts and the steadfastness of the resistance group led by young communist Herbert Baum.
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A plexiglass plaque on one side of the monument provide more information about the group and its activities. A similar plaque on the other side lists the names of the 34 members of the group who were either executed or died in prison.
A list (in German language) with these names can be found here. There is also a book about the group.
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Civil Right Type: National Origin
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Visit Instructions:
You must have visited the site in person, not online.
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