Category: Germany

How do we decide what is and is not appropriate behaviour when interacting with sites of memory such as the memorial “Trains to Life – Trains to Death,” which tells the story of Jewish children escaping Nazi Germany, and others who were deported to death camps? Who are we, as outside academics, to judge the actions of people we don’t know?

It might appear to some that this child, whose mother is seemingly distracted by something on her phone, is acting inappropriately. Or is it the mother at fault for not watching over her child’s actions? Or is this an innocent example of a child exploring the world around them, a world which includes these memorials so widely across the landscape of the city. What is it like to grow up surrounded by these haunted memories of atrocities done to the children of the past? Do these memorials become just another facet of the architecture of a modern city that people grow complacent toward?

Do memorials exist in an abstract space where people are not allowed to interact with them? Or are memorials meant to be interacted with, touched, vandalised and left to decay over time, like the memory of the event they symbolise? We can, as academics, discuss memorials all we want in our classrooms thousands of miles away and years removed from these places of memory. Still, it is not until one is in these spaces seeing it with one’s own eyes that our preconceived ideas and theories get thrown out the window and the reality of a complicated world replaces it.

Does one assume that teenagers will automatically disrespect a memorial or site of remembrance with the express intention to do so? Here we see teens climbing, sitting and playing with the Rosenstrasse memorial which is dedicated to the German women who protested the Nazis for taking their Jewish husbands into custody in 1943. At first glance, it can seem like these teens are being disrespectful to this site by acting as such, however, upon further investigation, it seemed as if this was not their intention. At least to the individuals we spoke to, they were unaware of the memorials’ origins. They were somewhat apologetic, while also being defensive at the accusations we made about their behaviours.

We assume, when we attempt to correct other people’s behaviours, that we know better and are on some level, morally superior. But what at first glance was teens disrespecting this memorial, was more complicated. How do we then continue to bring this judgement onto people at these sites of memory, while preaching not judging others’ actions? We do not know why these people are here or how they feel about their actions, we only know our thoughts. It should come as no surprise then, when people don’t live up to our impossible standards that they were not aware existed in the first place.

Are people condemned for taking a break on a hot summer day? Am I, as I sit under the shade of a tree, observing others interacting with the site, while sitting on my own stelae, condemned for inappropriate behaviour? This memorial has sat in the heart of Berlin for over 20 years and has become as much part of the makeup of the city as the TV tower or Brandenburg Gate. Would one not expect that due to its centrality in the city and large footprint that Berliners would develop a unique relationship with the memorial that we cannot understand as outsiders? The large presence of tourists also impacts one’s experiences at this site. Do children playing within the stelae break the chain of remembrance or do they show how the world continues to spin even after such a great loss?

The rules for the site ban jumping between the stelae, but they don’t ban sitting on them, and this ban seems more for safety rather than respectability. This father, who watches as his child climbs from stelae to stelae is attentive to make sure his child is unharmed. Children run through the stelae, playing tag or other games while their parents watch on chatting or eating lunch on the outside edges of the memorial. As shocking as these actions could be to our serious academic minds, the reality is that these spaces are not solemn places of remembrance we hold them to be. They are public spaces where people are allowed to act as they wish, whether or not they know the significance of the location or not.

This memorial, which is tucked away in the middle of Berlin is blocked away from the rest of the city by walls of glass. Walking up to the memorial, you are presented with a wall of information on the persecution of the Sinti and Roma as well as the process to get them recognized as a victim group of national socialism. A short animated video testimony is also playing on a loop outside the space. Inside, there is the main reflecting pool, surrounded by stones with the names of the locations where the Sinti and Roma were murdered. This space, unlike the other memorials, is quiet. Other than the violin music playing and the faint sounds of construction, no children are running around, no one is sitting having a picnic, and nothing “disrespectful” is happening in this space.

The sombre feeling that one can experience in this space, as opposed to others, shows us the importance of design in creating these spaces of memory. This memorial, while being in a central location, is isolated away from the city and surrounded by nature. You are forced to interact and reflect on the memorial because it is the only thing within the space to interact with. When you are done with your reflection or observation, you then leave the space behind. This site has clear boundaries, and while the information section is on the outside of the memorial, it too is secluded off to the side of the walking path.

I think that this shows how important design is when getting people to interact with memorial sites. This memorial is only a few blocks away from the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, yet how people interaction with the space is so different. This space is clearly labelled, which is not true for a lot of sites we visited. It is also secluded away from the normal activity of the city so people don’t interact with it as often. While you can argue over the pros and cons of its isolation, the visitor behaviour, at least from what I saw, was much more informed and reflective than any other site I visited.