Georg Elser memorial
The Georg Elser memorial is a sculpture in the Mitte district of Berlin in memory of the German Hitler bomber and resistance fighter against National Socialism Georg Elser . After his failed bomb attack on November 8, 1939 in the Bürgerbräukeller in Munich , Elser was interned as a “Führer’s special prisoner” and, in 1945, shortly before the end of the war, murdered in the Dachau concentration camp on Hitler’s orders .
The filigree steel sculpture by Berlin artist Ulrich Klages , over 17 meters high , was presented to the public in a ceremony on November 8, 2011. The memorial on the area of the former Führerbunker at the level of the former Reich Propaganda Ministry shows the silhouette of Georg Elser's face above the treetops of Wilhelmstrasse , which lights up on both sides in the dark.
Hochhuth's initiative and artistic competition
In contrast to the conspirators of July 20, 1944 in the Federal Republic and the communist resistance in the GDR , Georg Elser was hardly recognized in the official commemorative culture of the two German states until the 1990s. Only with the Elser biography by Hellmut G. Haasis from 1999 did a decisive rethink set in, as a result of which the Georg Elser Prize for civil courage was launched in 2001 and several memorials, monuments and names of streets and squares were created. including the facade installation on Georg-Elser-Platz in Munich .
In Berlin, the Ernst Freiberger Foundation had a bust created by Kay Winkler unveiled by Elser in 2008 in the street of remembrance in Moabiter Spreebogen . At the same time as the Freiberger Foundation and the Georg Elser Working Group, the playwright Rolf Hochhuth in particular campaigned for Elser to be properly recognized in Berlin. In the 1980s, Hochhuth complained about the lack of culture of remembrance of the resistance fighter in a poem:
"After three decades, his home village is naming
a street after Johann Georg Elser
- but not a German city, not one."
In 2007, Hochhuth suggested that a further memorial for Elser be inaugurated on the 70th anniversary of the attack on November 8, 2009. This project was delayed in some committees . In 2008, the Berlin House of Representatives, under the leadership of the Secretary of State for Culture André Schmitz, joined the Hochhuths initiative and announced an open, two-phase artistic competition with the stipulation that the artists deal with the historical, political and moral dimensions of Elser's act. On October 12, 2010, the jury chaired by Leonie Baumann unanimously decided in favor of the design by the Berlin artist Ulrich Klages.
The memorial
In November 2011, the 17 meter high steel sculpture was installed in Wilhelmstrasse on the corner of An der Kolonnade street. The location near the former Führerbunker and at the level of the former Reich Propaganda Ministry was specifically chosen - according to Hochhuth as a necessary counterforce to the Hitler bunker pilgrimage site , the remains of which are buried a few hundred meters away in the ground.
layout
A steep steel mast extends over the treetops of the street into the silhouette of Georg Elser's face. The sculpture is supplemented by an information board and two quotes from the resistance fighter, which are embedded as light strips in the sidewalk: "[...] that the situation in Germany can only be changed by removing the current leadership." (Elser in the Gestapo interrogation 1939 ) and “I wanted to prevent the war” - this sentence was already quoted on the German commemorative stamp for Georg Elser's 100th birthday from 2003.
In their justification for choosing Ulrich Klages' winning design, the competition jury characterized the memorial as follows:
“The work convinced the jury because of its form and position, which is particularly exposed in terms of urban space, through which it easily asserts itself in the difficult environment. It does not try to impress with its monumentality and sheer height, but is a clear, weightless-looking city sign that clearly refers to the person of Georg Elser. The representation of the profile appears as an exciting combination of abstraction and figurative concretion, at the same time as a combination of individuality and generalization. The work of art is clearly visible from different locations and therefore suitable to arouse the interest of passers-by and visitors to Berlin in the subject and in the person of Georg Elser. At night, the restrained but clear LED lighting ensures a lot of attention without being too bright or appearing playful. Quotes by Georg Elser are embedded in the sidewalk as light strips and encourage further discussion of his attack on November 8, 1939 on the National Socialist leadership. "
The total costs of 250,000 euros were borne by the state of Berlin with 200,000 euros and a private donor who would like to remain anonymous with 50,000 euros.
Ceremony and criticism
The memorial was presented to the public in a ceremony on November 8, 2011. The guests included the Bundestag Vice President Wolfgang Thierse , the writer Inge Deutschkron and the chairwoman of the Jewish community in Berlin Lala Süsskind . The speeches were given by the State Secretary for Culture André Schmitz, the creator of the Ulrich Klages memorial and the initiator of the memorial, the poet Rolf Hochhuth. Schmitz called Elser a shining light in dark times . Hochhuth called the inauguration a biblical hour and asked in his speech why the Germans have such a hostile non-relationship with Elser. The Berliner Zeitung took Klages' explanations of his work of art as the reason for the following criticism of the memorial design:
"[...] but a luminous silhouette for a resister who most people don't even know by name? Who understands that? The creator Ulrich Klages proudly declares his work of art as a 'human symbol: everyone who knows Elser will immediately recognize him as an image. If you don't, find out more. ' Recognize as an image? Everyone? Today 40 streets, squares and schools are named after Elser, but who knows what it looked like? There are hardly any photos of Elser, especially not in profile. It's good that there is at least one information board. "
However, Klages very consciously wants to challenge and force the viewer to find a position on the symbol: “Like Georg Elser: He tried to understand what was going on in his time and his environment in order to draw conclusions from it.” This position should the viewer, to whom the silhouette is puzzling, can be found via the quotes in the sidewalk and the information board.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ernst Piper: Alone against Hitler . In: one day . November 6, 2009.
- ↑ Hellmut G. Haasis : "I'll blow Hitler up." The assassin Georg Elser . A biography. Edition Nautilus , Hamburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-89401-606-7 (first edition: 1999).
- ^ Georg Elser monument in Moabiter Spreebogen in Berlin
- ↑ From: Rolf Hochhuth: Was Europe here? Speeches, poems, essays . Munich 1987. New version in: Rolf Hochhuth: All stories, poems and novels . Reinbek 2001.
- ^ Georg Elser Working Group : A memorial for Georg Elser in Berlin .
- ↑ a b The Governing Mayor, Senate Chancellery, Cultural Affairs: Competition "Denkzeichen für Georg Elser" ( Memento of the original from November 3, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b Spiegel-online: Georg Elser monument inaugurated in Berlin . November 8, 2011.
- ↑ Elser-Briefmarke.jpg? Uselang = de Commons, image of the special postage stamp for the 100th birthday of Georg Elser from 2003. Note: The stamp says: hab , in the Berlin sidewalk inscription: have .
- ↑ a b c Birgit Walter: Honoring a hero. In: Berliner Zeitung , November 9, 2011, p. 24.
- ↑ Gabriela Walde: Memorial for Hitler assassin Elser inaugurated. In: Berliner Morgenpost , November 8, 2011.
Coordinates: 52 ° 30 ′ 44.3 " N , 13 ° 22 ′ 57.7" E