Artistic commemoration of the wars in Germany

Abstract

The research addresses the topic of artistic commemoration of the wars in which Germany took part: from the victorious Franco-Prussian War to two crushing defeats in world wars. The article is devoted to the military monuments (Kriegerdenkmal), which were erected at every stage of German history: the Second Reich, the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, the GDR and the FRG. The commemoration of the wars pursued various goals: the rise of Reich patriotism and the glorification of national unity, popular pacifism, instilling aggressive nationalism, overcoming the past. The symbolism of the memorials stemmed not only from the results of the wars, but also from previous historical experience. This is the time during which the nation has gone from the idea of its own exclusivity to the need for atonement and the formation of a "culture of memory" addressed to the younger generation. War memorials erected in the second half of the XIX – XX centuries are of two different types: tombstones erected directly over the graves of fallen soldiers and monuments commemorating the event, but not being an index of the grave. For the Franco-Prussian and World War I, examples of war memorials installed on graves, including monuments to opponents, are most characteristic. The theme of memorials dedicated to the Second World War is much more diverse. In addition to military cemeteries, they reflect the history of concentration camps, Resistance, Operation Tiergartenstrasse 4. After World War II, the memorial was assigned the role of a monument in the name of peace.