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 Unveiled: Berlin and its Monuments - Berlin, Germany
N 52° 32.441 E 013° 12.750
33U E 378776 N 5822678
A museum showcasing 200 years of political monuments in the German capital
Waymark Code: WMZXTP
Location: Berlin, Germany
Date Posted: 01/20/2019
Views: 2
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Throughout its history, Berlin has been the capital of a monarchy, a republic, a fascist dictatorship, a country under foreign allied control, a communist puppet state and finally, again a republic.
Each of the various rulers left their marks in statues throughout the town, and each new ruler tried to eradicate the marks of the predecessor. The Revolution of 1918 got rid of most of the monarchist monuments, the communist authorities blew up all of the Nazi statues and after the reunification of 1989, most communist monuments were toppled.
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In 2016, financed by the City of Berlin and by the European Union, a new museum, located in the Spandau Citadel put together a comprehensive collection of all of these monuments of a turbulent past.
A sign at the entrance reads:
Political monuments are historical witnesses. They were erected to demonstrate power, generate identification or create objects of memory. Often, they bear potential for conflicts, especially when social circumstances change. In Berlin, that can be witnessed particularly well. Only a few monuments still stand at their original location. Many were relocated, banished in depots, damaged, buried or even destroyed. The exhibition with its original monuments highlights the development of the Berlin monument landscape from the beginning of the 18th to the end of the 20th century.
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Largest part of the exhibition is a collection of the Victory Avenue Statues, showing all rulers of the Brandenburg Margraviate and (later) the Prussian Kingdom from its founder in 1157, Albert the Bear (picture right) to the first German Emperor in 1871.
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There were almost no monuments of the two German dictatorships left. After World War II, The Red Army demolished pretty much everything that looked fascist. One monument in the museum is a statue called "Decathlete". Hitler had it made as a birthday gift for Nazi Ssecretary of sports, Hans von Tschammer und Osten. The statue is characteristic for art work during National Socialism. (picture below left).
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Soon after the fall of Communism, people did not only tear down the Wall but also most of the reminders of that era. However, one most despicable piece of "Socialist Realism" survived, a statue of two armed East German soldiers, guarding the Berlin Wall (above, middle).
Most indicative for the demolition of communist monuments is a head of the founder of the Soviet Union, Lenin. The head is all that is left of a once 30 feet tall statue (above, right) |
Name: Zitadelle Spandau
Location:
Zitadelle
Am Juliusturm 64
13599 Berlin
Phone Number: Germany - 30-354-9440
Web Site: [Web Link]
Agency/Ownership: Public
Hours of operation:
Daily 10am to 5pm
Admission Fee: 4.5
Gift Shop: yes
Cafe/Restaurant: yes
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Visit Instructions:
Post one photo of the museum that is a different view from the one on the page, and describe your visit. Add any additional information that you may have about this building. A GPSr photo is NOT required.
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