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| 1931 - Bundesarchiv |
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| Neue Wache - May 11, 2015 |
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| Kollwitz's Mother and Dead Son - May 11, 2015 |
Originally built between 1816 as a
guardhouse for the royal family, the Neue Wache was repurposed in 1931 (Weimar
Republic) as a memorial for those who died during World War I. It has since
remained a memorial, although slightly altered throughout the years. In 1993
after reunification, it was named the Central
Memorial of the Federal Republic of Germany for the Victims of War and Tyranny.
As
a memorial to those fallen during World War I, the building housed a metallic wreath on top of a tall granite block with the inscription ‘1914-1918’. This
was meant to honor the soldiers that did not make it back from World War I.
It now features an enlarged version of Käthe
Kollwitz's Statue of Mother and dead Son made by Harald Haacke. This memorial
is meant to commemorate all the lives loss to war, including those not normally
recognized. There is some controversy surrounding the use of the statue;
artistically, due to its enlargement, and also generally, due to what some see
as its lack of representation of the mass murders of WWII. Despite this, the
memorial is still moving and reminder of the perils of war.
~ Something interesting about the Neue
Wache, although not related to the interior design, are the statues of Prussian generals put
out front the memorial by Schinkel, but moved after unification by the
preference of the artist’s Grandchildren.
References:
Zachodni, Przeglad. “Neue Wache (1818-1993).” 2011.
5 comments:
Revisit your statement about the statutes of Soviet soldiers--they are statues of soldiers from a very different war.
I agree. The picture of the exterior looks like it should be on a postcard.
Noted and adjusted. In fact they were statues of Prussian Generals, first Gerhard von Scharnhors and Friedrich Wilhelm von Bülow. Then later in 1826, Gebhard Blücher was added and in 1855 August Neithardt Gneisenau and Ludwig von Wartenburg Yorck were added. The soviets actually removed them and had a permenant gaurd from May 1, 1962 to October 2, 1990. The gaurd was also stopped because of the anti-military sentiments held inside the building and by the artist. The statues of Scharnhorst and Bülow now stand on the other side of Unter den Linden facing Neue Wache; the other 3 do as well but further in the distance.
Thanks guys!
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