Kriegerdenkmal

“Kriegerdenkmal” it is. What sounds like a simple memorial, is a complex one. It doesn’t stand out. It is a monument to those in Munich who died in World War I, and its simplicity is part of its power. The memorial looks like a rectangle built into the ground. It’s almost hidden in the landscape. If you didn’t know what you were looking at, it’s easy to walk right past it. Four dark stone staircases lead down into the sunken, grave-like space. On the left side, you’ll see a relief of marching soldiers. On the right are twelve granite blocks set in rows, evoking a field of crosses, a symbol of the fallen. In the center is a crypt, covered with a 250-ton slab of stone engraved with the words “They will rise” on its western side and “For our dead” on the east side. The crypt was meant to be accessible, but it’s been partially blocked since World War II. The memorial’s centerpiece was a marble statue of a fallen soldier, laid out on a bed of red marble. It was once a powerful image, and it caused the memorial to become a site of remembrance and renewal. The statue is gone now, having been replaced with a bronze copy for preservation. The original is now at the Bayerisches Armeemuseum in Ingolstadt, but its spirit still lives in the Hofgarten. Today, the powerful inscription on the tomb-like crypt reminds visitors of the sacrifices made in the name of war and that the memory of the Munich soldiers is still alive.