Memoria Urbana Berlin
| Memoria Urbana Berlin | |
|---|---|
 The complete memorial in June 2016 |
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| Data | |
| place | Berlin , Germany |
| Construction year | 2012 |
| height | 31 m |
Memoria Urbana Berlin (also a reconstruction of the Bohemian Bethlehem Church (Berlin-Mitte) ) is a public sculpture by the Spanish artist Juan Garaizabal in the middle of Bethlehemkirchplatz in Berlin-Mitte . The installation was erected in June 2012 in the original dimension of the disappeared Bohemian Bethlehem Church on the floor mosaic that marks its former exact location.
Construction and maintenance
The construction used 800 meters (2,600 inches ) square steel tubing (12 cm x 12 cm / 4.7 "x 4.7") and 300 meters (984 inches) LED lighting . The structure draws the outlines of the missing building in the air and thus reproduces the original volume in the form of a sketch . At night, the lighting emphasizes certain places where the light once shone. The total dimensions are 25 meters from east to west and 15 meters from north to south. The highest peak is 31 meters high, with a total weight of 40 tons.
Initially planned as a temporary installation - four months were extended to one year - the city and district authorities of Mitte decided in December 2013 that the monumental sculpture should be permanently preserved. In October 2014, the decision was also made in the Mitte district parliament . The "Lux-Bethlehem" foundation , made up of around 20 public and private institutions that promoted the consolidation of the work as a permanent, public monument , guarantees complete maintenance by financing it through various charity initiatives.
Symbolic meaning
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The monumental sculpture is dedicated to freedom of conscience and immigration . It is also an homage to Berlin as a city of tolerance and welcome, with a European spirit. The Bohemian Church of Berlin was built between 1733 and 1735 in the center of Friedrichstadt - the current district of Mitte - and represents one of the greatest chapters of Prussian-Bohemian relations. Thanks to Friedrich Wilhelm I , the King of Prussia , the Bohemian refugees became who were expelled because of their religion, taken in Friedrichstadt. This represents a symbol of tolerance and openness, which was an essential characteristic of the Prussian state. The church was damaged by an air raid in 1943 and completely demolished in 1963 to clear the space for the Checkpoint Charlie facilities .
Juan Garaizabal describes himself as a Spanish immigrant who achieved his artistic freedom in Berlin. His Memoria Urbana Berlin is his homage to the bravery of the Bohemian emigrants and everyone else, including himself, and to the generosity and size of the Prussians of that time and of today's Berliners. With his intervention, the artist creates a contemporary technical and aesthetic adventure through the heroic essence of the past. He also synthesizes the ability of the city to extract the positive essence of the past and to project it full force into the future. In this way, the Bohemian Church regains its presence and its role as a place of gathering, reflection and reconciliation, and shines in avant-garde light every night.
“You don't have to be a scholar to approach my work. But contact with her creates a strong desire to plunder libraries and archives ”(Juan Garaizabal).
Web links
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 52 ° 30 ′ 33 ″ N , 13 ° 23 ′ 19.6 ″ E