A memorial is being built to celebrate Germany’s reunification. It was supposed to be inaugurated four years ago. Now no one knows when it will be ready. What makes it so controversial?
October 3 marks German Unity Day, celebrated every year since the peaceful reunification of the country, 33 years ago. A monument to mark this historical event, the Monument to Freedom and Unity, was supposed to be inaugurated in 2019, on the 30th anniversary of Germany’s reunification. But political debates, bureaucratic hurdles, safety concerns and a lack of funding delayed the launch of the project.
Four years later — even though construction has been ongoing since May 2020 — things don’t look much better. The historic base in front of the Humboldt Forum, where the Berlin City Palace once stood, is almost finished, the Stuttgart planning office Milla & Partner has confirmed to DW.
The walkable shell that was chosen as the winning design in 2011 competition, popularly known as the “Einheitswippe” (unity seesaw), is apparently in development. According to Milla & Partner, the 32 steel segments of the monument are currently waiting in a production hall in North Rhine-Westphalia to be transported to Berlin. But more delays are already expected.
“The Monument to Freedom and Unity will not be completed this year,” confirms creative director Sebastian Letz. “We have drawn up a plan for implementation in 2024 and communicated it to the Commissioner for Culture and the Media Culture some time ago.” Now it is up to the head of the state entity developing the project, Commissioner for Culture Claudia Roth, to make decisions.
“Everyone involved is trying to ensure the monument is completed quickly,” a spokesperson for the commissioner told DW.
In the end, only the general contractor of the project — the Stuttgart creative consulting agency Milla & Partner — can determine the inauguration date: “According to the general contractor, there are currently construction delays due to difficulties with a subcontractor in the steel construction sector,” explains the culture commissioner’s spokesperson.
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