Museums and Memorials

Neue Wache – The Memorial to the Victims of War and Dictatorship

Berlin has countless memorials and I have seen just a few of them. The most moving and impressing is Neue Wache, on Under den Linden, between Humbolt University and the Historical Museum. The official name of it is Central Memorial of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Victims of War and Dictatorship. // Gedenkstätte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland für die Opfer von Krieg und Gewaltherrschaft.
Nothing more and nothing less.

Inside the neoclassical building is the sculpture Mother and dead Son of Käte Kollwitz. The sculpture and the gloomy interior of the building commemorates how cruel war can be and how sorrowful and terrible it is to lose a son or daughter. Especially today when news almost every day show results of war and dictatorship.

This Neue Wache Memorial and Kate Kolwitz sculpture, which is an enlarged verson of her Pietà, she sitting with bowed head, umarming her dead son. The emptiness of the room, the gray stone walls and dark floor adds to the solemnity and moving impression it makes. In the middle of the spaciuos, gloomy room, the Mother with her dead Son in her arms. It also make you think of how dark and miserable life has been in Berlin, on its worst. The only glimpse of hope must be the small circular opening in the middle of the ceiling, letting in daylight.

Share:
Email
jlm/Citybreak.berlin
Tempelhofer Feld Neukolln
NEIGHBOURHOODS

Neukölln, Berlin

While Kreuzberg enjoys its reputation as Berlin’s «coolest» suburb, Neukölln takes a more understated approach. Situated in the southeastern part of the city, Neukölln boasts

Read More »
the Pankow Museum at Heynstrasse 8
Sean's Berlin History

Off the Beaten Track in Pankow

Come see the sites most visitors miss. If you’re like me, you know the real magic of exploring a city—whether it’s your hometown or a

Read More »