Berlin: memorial boulder for Polish WWII victims unveiled
A new memorial to the Polish victims of the German occupation during the Second World War, a boulder weighing 30 tonnes, has been unveiled in Berlin's government district. Located on the site of the former Kroll Opera House, where Hitler announced the invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, it is set to be replaced by a permanent institution, a German-Polish House. What do the media in the two countries have to say about the project?
The memorial is just a first step
Der Tagesspiegel is impressed by the first stage of the project, but insists on the expansion:
“Anyone who was able to experience the goodwill of Poles and Germans at the inauguration on Monday in Berlin can feel encouraged: this is really something. ... The widespread ignorance of German crimes in Poland remains an obstacle to understanding. This is why the planners are probably right: a memorial is not enough. The information centre is necessary, as is the place of encounter. Many people belonging to the generation that experienced the German occupation from 1939 to 1945 are no longer alive. The next generation needs other sources.”
The Germans must pay for their crimes
News website wPolityce.pl says the new memorial is not enough:
“If the Germans really want to atone for their crimes against the Poles and secure forgiveness from the Polish people, they should first pay Poland the reparations it is owed for World War II. Otherwise, no words or gestures directed at Poland can be taken seriously.”
Continue to display robust self-confidence
The temporary monument is a long overdue step towards an appropriate memorial site, journalist Estera Flieger writes in Rzeczpospolita:
“Respect, independence and aspirations have no party colours. There is no 'PiS Poland' that believes that the huge boulder is an equally huge faux pas. There is simply a Poland that is no longer Germany's poorer sister in Europe. Fortunately, we have developed a different image of ourselves. The Germans missed this moment, and not all Polish liberals have understood this yet. ... That is why Poland doesn't need to ask or thank the Germans for anything, but must ensure that the victims are commemorated in a dignified manner.”