Here we stand before a Kriegsdenkmal. It is not just stone and inscriptions. It is a place echoing with stories of sacrifice.
This Kriegsdenkmal is on Rohmerplatz in Frankfurt. It commemorates 1200 soldiers from Bockenheim who died in World War I. The monument was erected in 1925. It sits amid greenery south of Leipziger Strasse.
Consider the inscriptions etched into its base. One reads “In memory of the 1914-1918 for the Fatherland died on the field of honor 1,200 brave Bockenheim heroes.” Another inscription on the back declares that it was erected by the Bockenheim Warriors Association for its fiftieth anniversary. It was donated by the grateful residents of Bockenheim.
Oskar Ufert created this memorial. He was a sculptor from Frankfurt. The Bockenheim Warriors Association commissioned him. The statue shows a kneeling warrior. He rests his left hand on a shield.
The Kriegerdenkmal reflects the grief of a community. Bockenheim created a Kriegerverein or Warriors Association in 1875. In its founding year, the association built a war memorial. It honored three Bockenheim citizens who died in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71. This earlier memorial was in the old cemetery on Rödelheimer Sandweg. Today, that is the Old Cemetery Bockenheim on Solmsstrasse.
The Bockenheim Warriors Association joined the Kyffhäuserbund. By 1913, it had 2.8 million members. The City of Frankfurt lays a wreath here each Volkstrauertag.
But there is another Kriegsdenkmal in Frankfurt’s Taunusanlage. This one is for fallen soldiers of the 2nd Nassau Field Artillery Regiment No. 63. Harold Winter designed it. It was created in 1938. It is a red sandstone wall with inscribed stelae. A pillar displays a stylized urn with flames. The stones list battle locations where the regiment fought. Cannons originally stood here. They are now in the Historical Museum.
The text “In memory of deeds and sacrifices, dutifulness and camaraderie” is in line with National Socialist ideals. An additional plaque honors the dead and missing from Artillery Regiment 15/5 from 1939 to 1945.
These Kriegsdenkmäler from the Nazi era are problematic. We should question how earlier generations dealt with memory. It is part of our cultural legacy. This memorial prompts reflection on uncritical hero worship, then and now.
As you reflect here at this Kriegsdenkmal remember the community’s loss. Remember Bockenheim’s brave heroes of World War I. Remember the kneeling warrior. His shield represents defense. His posture reflects mourning.