Orte der Täter
(Places of the Perpetrators)
The Documentation of Third Reich History in the German Landscape
August 6, 2006
I. Prologue
Knock, Knock. “Diedi, it is Wolf”. Thus, it was that Adolph Hitler arrived on the Obersalzberg one night, in May 1923. He knocked on the door of the room of Dietrich Eckart, an early Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP) leader, using the name Herr Wolf. Hitler was inspired by the view of the Untersberg, where legend purports that Charlemagne sleeps under the mountain in an ice cave, sword in hand, one day to awaken and lead the German people to new glory. [1]
Is it right to enjoy, share, or experience anything or any place associated with something or someone who is purported to be evil, such as the scenery of the Obersalzberg, the Palast der Republik of Communist East Germany, or the “new” Frauenkirche in Dresden, which is a symbol for the firebombing of Germany by the allies in World War II? The demons of the past. both in thought and landscape, are being reconciled, remembered... and forgotten.
II. Introduction
The historical landscapes of Germany, both urban and rural, are being remade to reconcile, and remember the past. The ghosts and the hopes of German Empire, Republic and National Socialism still haunt the landscape and the associated political discussions.
Multiple pasts in Berlin encroach on each other, sparking debate about how best to remember or memorialize both the good and the bad, in the German chronicle of history. Berlin must reconcile its distant past, the period of the Kaiser, the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, Communism and the reunification of Germany. In deciding which sites to preserve, to build over, to remove... or new sites or memorials to create, one bumps into the memories of history; and the debate may not just be over what to remember, but also how to remember it, and even worse, how to forget. The focus on analysis here will be on the historical memory in the landscape of the Berlin of 1933-1944, during the Third Reich.
The Obersalzberg has a history of a small Alpine resort that is very picturesque. Adolph Hitler became in love with the place after his imprisonment in 1923. Slowly and methodically, he eventually displaced the original residents and took over the entire Obersalzberg. In April 1945, to prevent a National Socialist stand there, allied forces bombed the Obersalzberg. After the war, the Obersalzberg became forbidden to Germans, and the Americans occupied the majority of it, using it for a military recreation facility. In 1996, after German reunification, the United States bequeathed the Obersalzberg back to Bavaria and the debate began over how to handle the site. The controversy is important because the Obersalzberg was the second seat of power, after Berlin, as Hitler and much of the NSDAP leadership, maintained residences there. The question of this location is whether the deliberate destruction and removal of Third Reich Ruins is an attempt to whitewash the past and to deliberately forget what took place there; or is it merely an attempt to say, “It’s time to move on”?
Should Germany not reconcile with its past ghosts or demons, they might resurface again to haunt the world another day. Important questions to consider are the problems of historical markers and deciding what to tear down, rebuild or memorialize. In this process, however, it also becomes an exercise in what to forget. Can Germany make peace with its dark past or will the ghosts of the past create another spark that will blow up in the World’s face?
III. Berlin
The area of Prinz-Albrecht Straße was heavily damaged after World War II. The locale was one of the most feared addresses in Berlin. It was the area of the Gestapo (Geheime Staatspolizei) and SS headquarters. When Germany became divided after the war, the areas location became (so it was assumed) worthless real estate, just inside the Western sector of Berlin, next to the Berlin Wall. West Berlin had the damaged Prinz-Albrecht remains demolished in 1949; and even though this was a building by Schinkel (famous German architect), of which few remained, the authorities responsible for preservation were not informed and the public had no chance to engage in debate.[2]
In the 1970’s, a burned-out shell of a huge neo-classical structure towered over abandoned fields filled with Berlin’s rubble and also overgrown bushes.[3] It was about this time that debates about national identity began, in response to the urban renewal and historic preservation projects flourishing in West Germany as part of a “memory boom” industry.[4]
V. The Obersalzberg
The Obersalzberg before the 1930’s was a simple mountain resort of small pensions and Gasthäuser. The Nazi takeover on the Obersalzberg began with Adolph Hitler acquiring a modest land house by the name Haus Wachenfeld. Construction of the mammoth second seat of power by the Nazis began in earnest in 1935 with the upgrade of Haus Wachenfeld into the Berghof, and the demolition of current residences and places of business to erect a huge complex. Most of the Obersalzberg was destroyed in the allied bombing of 1945. What remained was made off limits to German civilians, and what could be salvaged was appropriated for use in the American “Armed Forces Recreation Facility”. It policy here was evident from the beginning: demolish the remaining traces of the Nazi past to prevent so called neo-Nazi pilgrims from visiting the area.[5] When the Americans left in 1995, the Bavarian government quickly put in place plans rid itself of the massive remaining Reich Platterhof Hotel complex, and this has now been completed to make room for a parking lot.
VI. Welt der Täter
German history is not a product of 1933-1945. However, that history does loom large for future generations and is an important epoch in both German and world history. There are competing desires to just move on, to remember, to mourn, and to forget. As Germany tries to come to grips with the concept that it housed a “Society of Perpetrators”, many forget that the allies, too, are perpetrators, and willfully ignored evidence, which, if acted upon in time, might have averted the calamity that followed. If one was a descendant of British prime minister Neville Chamberlin, one would be relieved that no evidence of Hitler’s Berghof remained, and one would not be subjected to an exhibit in a renovated Berghof museum, showcasing an appeasement display; it would be complete with the picture of Hitler and Chamberlain on the Berghof steps, contemplating the now ridiculous notion of “peace in our time”. It was, in fact, the Americans, in cooperation with the Bavarian government, who guaranteed the destruction of historic artifacts in 1952.[6]
Americans perpetuated historical destruction either by silence either by agreement or silence, as in the destruction of the Prinz-Albrecht land in their own sector of Berlin, or the continual removal of ruins on the Obersalzberg, which continues unabated to the present day. What was salvageable was used by the Americans until 1995, when they were given back to the state of Bavaria. The government of Bavaria was all too happy to continue to remove traces of the National Past. Now there is a Welt der Täter.
In the place of Obersalzberg and Gestapo ruins continuing to dominate what could be an emotional debate, a new form of memorial has emerged to document what happened. It merely uses visual, actual evidence to chronicle the National Socialist role and history and diffuses the emotion from the debate, leaving the “wanderer” to draw their own conclusions. This is a refreshing approach in which many countries could learn from the German example.
The emotional debate over how to best remember the legacy of the Third Reich in the landscape has two basic opposing viewpoints. One is to use the landscape to present history and culture in a positive light, emphasizing the fact that Germany has rejoined the civilized world and stressing the need to move on. The other view shows the need for Germany to come to terms with its dark past and views the elimination of traces (spuren) of history as a denial and/or deliberate forgetfulness of the National Socialist legacy.
Both viewpoints, would in fact be correct. Germany must overcome its self-esteem problem and realize that the overall culture is worth preserving and promoting, and that life does go on. Should this not happen, Germany will become the weak link in Europe. Should Islamic and Eastern culture continue to make inroads, will Germany take steps to defend its culture? Or will outside influences and guest workers redefine German culture? What does it mean to be a German?
Preserving the traces of history, no matter how dark, is also important, because coming to grips with the past is a necessary component to defining German culture and social responsibility. It is also important because, to repeat the cliché, those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
[1] Warner, Gary; “How Hitler (the Wolf) controlled mountain town”; August 17, 2006; http://www.theage.com.au/news/germany/how-hitler-the-wolf-controlled-mountain-town/2006/08/
[2] Ladd, Brian. The Ghosts of Berlin. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1997
[3] Till, Karen E. The New Berlin. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2005
[4] Ibid.
[5] Dokumentation Obersalzberg: Exhibition after 1945. München: Institute of Contemporary History. http://www.obersalzberg.de
[6] Dokumentation Obersalzberg: Exhibition after 1945. München: Institute of Contemporary History. http://www.obersalzberg.de