Fathers of unity

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Monument to the fathers of unity in Berlin-Kreuzberg

The Fathers of Unity are a memorial by French sculptor Serge Mangin . It stands in front of the Axel Springer skyscraper on Rudi-Dutschke-Straße in the Berlin district of Kreuzberg . It honors three key players in German reunification : Former Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl , former US President George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev , the last President of the Soviet Union . The three bronze portrait busts each stand on a 1.75 meter high granite base . Each segment has a weight of around 1.3 tons.

background

The busts of Kohl and Gorbatschow had been in the Axel Springer Passage , which is adjacent to the high-rise, since 2007 and 2009 respectively . On the 20th anniversary of German reunification, the publisher opened the monument to the public.

With this monument, the three politicians are to be honored for the fact that through their “decisive action they made the vision of the company founder of German reunification a reality”. The plan is to add a memorial plaque to the memorial, which will tie in with Axel Springer's words : “Unity in freedom - that is our mission”.

inauguration

The memorial was inaugurated on September 29, 2010 in the presence of a large number of celebrities such as former Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker . Former Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt , who attended the appointment despite his wife Loki being ill , unveiled the memorial. The chairman of Axel-Springer AG, Mathias Döpfner , addressed the publisher's founder and his firm belief in reunification, as well as the special role of the three people on the monument. Döpfner paid tribute to the "fathers" with the words: "Kohl created facts, Gorbachev consciously accepted the risk of losing power and Bush said yes at the right moment."

Others

Owl of the Ullstein publishing house next to the monument
  • The three statesmen were depicted with different facial expressions . Kohl was to receive a "far-sighted, serious expression", Gorbachev an "open-hearted mildness" and Bush a "hinted fatherly smile".
  • There is an owl next to the monument . It is a relic of the Ullstein publishing house , which has stood on the skyscraper for many years.

Web links

Commons : Fathers of Unity  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Press release from Axel Springer Verlag on the opening of the monument . Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  2. ↑ a b Report on the opening of the monument on picture. Accessed on February 2, 2011.
  3. ^ Message from the world to the monument . Retrieved February 2, 2011.

Coordinates: 52 ° 30 ′ 26.5 "  N , 13 ° 23 ′ 51.8"  E