Today I visited a former Stasi (Staat Sicherheit--State Security, i.e., East German secret police) prison. It was really a fascinating tour. I'll be the first person to admit that for a German historian, my knowledge of Germany after 1945 is embarrassing underdeveloped. The former prison, Hohenschönhausen, was converted from a former Nazi Welfare kitchen into this prison/camp. At this prison, political "offenders" were kept for indefinite amounts of time and subjected to extreme psychological abuse. When it was first opened, torture such as water boarding and water torture were employed, but afterward, the prison administrators moved to an approach that attacked the mind. Guards subjected prisoners to sleep deprivation, extreme disorientation, and created a general atmosphere of hopelessness. It goes without saying that to be a prisoner in this place would have been absolutely unimaginable.
But events and places such as this are apart of the history of Germany and Berlin. Additionally, events such as the Holocaust and the Third Reich weigh heavily on Germany's historical conscience. The question that I've been wrestling with for the last 24 hours or so is how do we we remember such a difficult history such as this? What does one do with such a catastrophic past?
This theme has been rolling around in my mind for years now, but since arriving in Berlin, it has become more and more germane. I've visited Sachsenhausen, the Jewish Museum, the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe, and now the Stasi prison, and it has been made apparent to me that such history is inescapable when one comes to Berlin. It is hardly even history yet because I read a small article in the Tagesspiegel yesterday about a 91-year old National Socialist who was recently found guilty for the part he played in the murder of 10 Italian civilians in Tuscany. More, I just looked up to the television and saw the German police shield and a swastika on the nightly news.
What really catalyzed this question was yesterday, seeing all of the people running around the monument. I was taken aback. I thought to myself, "This is a monument for murdered Jews!" It was as if people didn't understand where they were. I understand that some people might be of the persuasion that this is a sign of moving forward. When people can behave regularly again, then it indicates that people are moving past such atrocities. That might be so--BUT. There is an entire city for hide-and-go seek; there are entire parks for tag. The Alps are not far if you're into climbing, and I imagine that many health clubs have climbing walls. If you want to get some sun, Wannsee isn't too far (and even Wannsee has severe historical implications) and I'm sure Berlin has some very clean tanning beds. This city block is for something completely different.
Some of my response may be because I'm not European. It might be because I am not exposed to this everyday and don't read about Nazis or other historical catastrophes. But I don't think that should really matter. I don't want to think that I'm desensitized to the Holocaust or to the Stasi or any of these mass murders. When de-sensitivity develops, indifference rises. I'm by no means saying that any of these sites that I have visited contributes to indifference, I actually think the opposite. I believe that they serve a very important function--to remind.
We should never forget these events. Remembrance, though, isn't enough. What is important is how we remember these events. When I was able to tune out the noise that was around me yesterday, I actually felt a little disoriented and anxious. These giant stone slabs rose high above me, and it wasn't a comfortable feeling. I don't want to suggest that I could understand the realities of any of the events that occurred in the 1930s and 40s, but it create a particular emotion. The monument communicated a specific feeling to me that I could associate with the past. I don't want to say that everyone should have the same experience that I had, but there should be some sort of respectful connection. These places were preserved for a reason. These monuments were designed and constructed for a reason. They should evoke, remind, and help us grow.
Whether one is confronted with some representation of the realities of Sachsenhausen or Hohenschönhauser or the artistic interpretation at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, memorials and historical sites should remind. No one should have the same experience when visiting these places, but the focus should be on the subject. When visitors treat memorials with appropriate reverence, then we can be sure that we can remember appropriately. We won't become indifferent or desensitized. With such respect can we treat history with the attention and maturity that it deserves. That way we can learn not how to start over but how to move forward.
Thoughts? Agree? Disagree? Should we be able to play around on the slabs at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews? Let me know what you think.
Deutsches Wort des Tages:
das Denkmal -- memorial
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